Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time
by Demon Eliot
Summary: A girl gets thrust into Hyrule and given powers that are locked away. The goddesses expect her to help the Hero of Time, but she has no real desire to help. Instead she is trying to unlock her powers while avoiding the evil that is Ganondorf. Why does she have a Triforce symbol that glows from the centre? And why do people call her "Wind Sage"? (Part 1 of my Wind Sage Trilogy)
1. Prologue

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**Okay, this is basically a redone version of my first story with a more realistic storyline. That's all that really needs to be said. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Zelda. I'm not Nintendo.

Chapter 1: Prologue

"Sophie! Go to bed!" called a voice from downstairs. I yawned and took a quick peek at my mobile phone. It was 10:02.

"One second, I'm almost finished!" I called back. I was playing The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and I was just whacking the crap out of Ganon's tail with the Master Sword I had just recovered from next to Zelda. But before I go on I better tell you a little bit about myself.

My name is Sophie Lockwood and I'm 13. I'm a girl that has dark brown hair and loves to play electronic games and I have completed Ocarina of Time quite a few times. And that's all that you really need to know about me so back to the battle.

Ganon turned around to face me and I grinned. Instead of pulling out the bow and targeting his face with light arrows to stun him I simply waited for him to raise his arm and rolled between his legs as he swung both of his oversized swords. I instantly use the Z button on my Nintendo 64 controller to lock onto his tail, or rather have Navi fly around it and make Link actually focus on it. The next second shows Link flying through the air in a jump attack and bringing down his sword into Ganon's tail. Ganon screeched in agony and collapsed onto the floor, trying desperately to hold himself up with one of his swords.

Suddenly a ray of light went into him from the side and the camera angle changed to see Princess Zelda standing there, the ray of light coming out of her hands.

"I will try to use my power to hold the evil king while you deliver the final blow," Zelda said as the ray of light disappeared and she stumbled. Link looked at the Master Sword, which started to glow a white/silver colour. I got control of Link again and didn't waste any time.

I moved him forward and attacked and watched as Link swung his sword back and forth, drawing blood with every swing, before drawing it back, about to plunge it into Ganon's ugly face and seal him away.

Then we had a power cut.

"What! No! Why?" I screamed in the dark. All my hard work through the final area was just erased. I decided to take from this that I should definitely start saving more often and also make sure to save my game before the final boss next time.

Suddenly the television started glowing and three figures appeared on the screen. Each one was golden and I recognised them as Din, Nayru and Farore from the game.

"You are the chosen one and will help Link in his quest" they chanted together.

"Um..." I muttered, looking at the screen in confusion. I'd never seen this happen before in the game and I was pretty sure we still had a power cut so the TV shouldn't even be on right now.

"Do not worry about being confused, all will be revealed in due time," Nayru said.

"Okay, now I am going crazy," I said to myself. The power came back on. I quickly turned Ocarina of Time back on but the select character screen was full of glitches.

"Damn" I groaned taking the game out and putting it away. If it wasn't bad enough losing all that progress, I may have to get a new game as well. I started getting ready for bed, brushing my teeth in the bathroom and changing into my pyjamas back in my bedroom. My mum came up the stairs and shook her head at seeing me still up. I gave her a shrug and a hug before jumping onto the mattress of my bed and wrapping myself within the confines of my warm covers.

"Why are there chocolate wrappers all over the floor, Sophie?" my mum suddenly asked. I leaned out of bed to look.

"It's probably from my sleepover," I told her. "Sorry mum."

My mum sighed before picking up the wrappers, turned off the lights and walked out, leaving me to sleep.

However, sleep eluded me for quite a while, as I lay in my bed tossing and turning while thinking about the three goddesses in my TV.

"Very soon your destiny will begin"

"Huh?" I mumbled half-asleep while looking around for the voice. The voice didn't continue though so I ignored it. Eventually I managed to fall asleep and I had a dream about the three goddesses.

"Well do you accept your destiny?" they chanted together.

"What destiny?" I asked confused at what they were talking about.

"The destiny to save the land of Hyrule by guiding and helping the Hero of Time" they all said together.

"Wait a minute do you mean like Ocarina of Time?" I asked them.

"Yes"

"But that's just a game. It's not real and this is just a crazy dream I'm having," I shook my head in denial.

"Very well then. We will await your confirmation in accepting your destiny," they all spoke at the same time.

I woke up slowly, feeling sore and stiff in all of my limbs. I got out of bed and felt every limb I stretched pop in a very satisfying way. I looked at the time. I blinked incomprehensibly, before realisation dawned on my face.

"12:59!" I shouted and panicked. I was majorly late for school, but then I realised that there wasn't much point going in now anyway. I would bunk today and then pretend I was ill or something tomorrow. I went downstairs and took one look at my dad sleeping on the couch before raising an eyebrow.

_Doesn't he have work?_

I tried to wake him up, poking him several times and muttering his name. It didn't work; I decided to employ tactics with more chance of working.

"Dad, wake up!" I screamed into his ear with the force of a banshee. No response whatsoever, not even a twitch.

Okay now I was worried he was dead... But no, I can see he's breathing steadily and feel said breath on my hand in front of his face.

"Weird" I muttered to myself. I was still worried of course; this wasn't natural, no matter how much it looked like my dad was only sleeping.

I grabbed the phone nearby and dialled the emergency services. It rang and it rang and it kept ringing. This confused me even more. Was something wrong with our phone line?

After trying my mobile phone and finding that nobody was picking up on the other end of the line I decided to go to my next door neighbour and ask for help. As I went back upstairs to my room to put on my shoes, I noticed something lying on my parents' bed. It was my mum asleep like my dad.

I started to freak out when she wouldn't respond like my dad. I tried calling her name; I opened her eyelid and saw her iris staring straight ahead. I tried pouring water on her, but it just ran down her body onto the bed and made no progress in waking her.

I decided to carry on with my original plan in going to my neighbour for help. I had trouble putting on my shoes as my hands had started to tremble and shake. Eventually, I succeeded though and I ran out of the house to the next one over.

I banged on the front door loudly and repeatedly. Then when I felt he wasn't being fast enough in opening the door I knocked loudly again. But no one answered.

I growled and muttered under my breath. My neighbour was currently unemployed and usually was sitting in his living room and watching TV or playing games. I ran over to the window close to the front door and peered inside hoping to spot him and attract his attention if he was there.

I did spot him and he was sitting on his sofa. But I attracted his attention about as much as I attracted the attention of either of my parents.

My fingers scraped lightly and uselessly against the window as I stared at my neighbours sleeping body. I began to cry, wet, salty tears running down my cheeks and dripping off into the ground beneath me. I turned and began to trudge slowly back to my house.

I stopped though when I noticed a body lying face down on the pavement close to my house but in the opposite direction of the neighbour I had gone to. I walked over and slumped down next to the random stranger, who was breathing lightly and looked perfectly comfortable sleeping on the hard pavement.

I started to hyperventilate. The sun suddenly felt too hot, beating down upon me like a blazing fire, yet I still felt chills go across my body. I felt clammy, sweaty and unbearably confused. Tears were running down my face as I collapsed onto the ground next to the stranger and started to shake uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around myself and laid there, haunted by what seemed to be going on in the world around me.

It seemed like the whole world had fallen asleep without me.

"That's because the world has gone into stasis and cannot function until you leave," came an unwelcome voice in my head.

_This is all happening because of me? I don't belong here anymore?_

"We need you to accept your destiny Sophie. The Hero of Time needs your help. Hyrule needs your help," three voices, chanting in unison.

"But Hyrule doesn't exist!" It's just a game!" I screamed out, desperately.

"You don't think it does. You don't want it to exist. But it does. And it needs your help. You..." They whispered gently in unison.

I wondered if I'd gone crazy when I heard voices in my head. But no, I truly believed that I was somehow communicating with goddesses from a Nintendo 64 game.

Then I felt deep surging anger and hatred.

"YOU WANT TO RIP ME AWAY FROM MY LIFE! MY FAMILY! MY FRIENDS! HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU TRY AND DO THIS TO ME! YOU...!" I howled out, trailing off at the end as I struggled to find words to insult the goddesses with and as my voice grew hoarse and scratchy.

"We have no choice... It has to be you... And you have no choice either... For what it is worth, we are sorry..." the unison of quiet whispers spoke softly.

I pounded the unforgiving pavement with my hands multiple times, each hit calming me slightly.

"Fine... I will accept my destiny," I spoke bitterly.

A flash of light blinded my vision, before it slowly began to be replaced by darkness. I had one last thought before I fell unconscious.

_But I will hate you for as long as I live, goddesses..._

**And thus ends the redone version of chapter 1. I hope you enjoy my changes.**


	2. Petty Revenge

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

Disclaimer: This is Zelda. Nintendo owns Zelda.

Chapter 2: Petty Revenge 

I slowly awoke to hushed whispers around me. I groaned and they stopped instantly. Blurry images assaulted my eyes as light and colour slowly came into focus.

I was surrounded by green midgets.

Okay, so that wasn't technically true. They looked more like children, all of them wearing green tunics. They were all staring at me, maybe waiting for me to speak or make a sudden movement.

Where was I anyway? Normally I don't wake up and find myself surrounded. In fact, now that I thought about it they looked a lot like Kokiri…

Suddenly I remembered it all. I remembered my world going into stasis, the goddesses cutting me out of my life and pasting me into this world like I was a computer file. I felt that hatred for them flare up and it must have expressed itself on my face as some of the Kokiri in front of me stumbled backwards.

"_Calm down_" I thought to myself. I took a deep breath and let it out again. I knew that if I had the opportunity then I would have my revenge on the goddesses for ruining my life, but for now I needed to go with the flow.

One of the Kokiri girls stepped forward.

"Excuse me, who are you?" she asked politely, but with suspicion in her eyes. I recognised her as Saria.

"My name's Sophie, what's yours?" I answered. I was also polite, but I needed to "find out" names of important people before I accidently blurted out their name when I shouldn't know it.

"Saria" she replied whilst doing a curtsey.

"Pleasure to meet you" I said, taking in my surroundings. I was in a Kokiri house, lying on a thin bed or mattress of some kind. I'm guessing it was Saria's house as she was currently trying to discreetly shoo everyone else out.

"We are currently in the Kokiri Forest. No one is supposed to be able to get into this forest, but you appeared outside in a flash of light. How did you get here?" Saria questioned. I grimaced. Of course they would see that. Thus it makes it more likely that people will find out the goddesses sent me. And that will attract attention I don't want.

"Err…" I stumbled, no excuses or reasons coming to mind that would allow me to safely explain how I appeared. Saria waited patiently.

"I don't remember?" I tried. Saria raised an eyebrow.

"Look, I don't know why you're trying to hide it. But after seeing the mark on your hand it's obvious that you're connected to the goddesses in some way" she told me. Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

_Mark? What mark?_ I raised up both of my hands to inspect and there it was on my right hand.

The symbol of the Triforce, with the centre glowing.

_Why is the centre glowing? I thought there were only three golden triangles, which Link, Zelda and Ganondorf will have in the future._

"How do you even now this is connected to the goddesses?" I asked Saria, holding up the back of my hand to her. She blushed slightly.

"You appeared in front of the great Deku Tree and that mark was glowing even brighter than it is now. He might have mentioned something about the goddesses, but you confirmed it for me just now," she told me. I would have laughed at her embarrassment, but instead I groaned aloud when I realised that my connection with the goddesses was becoming more known.

A secret is only a secret when no one knows about it after all.

"Well don't tell anyone please, I don't want anyone knowing" I pleaded. Saria sighed, but nodded.

"Yeah I guess I can understand the danger you would be in... I'll try to convince everyone else that saw the mark to keep quiet about it as well" she said. I thanked her.

_Hopefully, I'll be able to stay out of Ganondorf's radar for as long as possible... Obviously he'd try to kill me or kidnap me once he knew I was somewhat important. But this mark... Does that mean I'm more important than I think? Have the goddesses decided that I have some part to play in what is to come?_

"The great Deku Tree will probably want to talk to you though" Saria cut into my train of thoughts.

_Yeah, of course he would. So he can set me on the path of aiding Link and being his babysitter. He doesn't need a babysitter! He can take care of himself! In fact..._

"Ah sorry, I can't stay I'm afraid. I urgently need to go deliver a message to Princess Zelda," I said apologetically. Inside I was doing a little jig in glee. Link could take care of himself and by not meeting him and helping him then I was screwing over the goddesses!

"Oh..." Saria mumbled. She seemed understanding enough, if a little disappointed, but I wouldn't let any possible guilty feelings stop me from leaving now.

I flashed her a smile, hoping that it would be enough to let her let me leave. I went to walk outside, but she stopped me at the door. I groaned internally.

"Wait! I can't just let you travel across Hyrule without any supplies!" she exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow.

_It wasn't that long a journey in the game... Actually, now that I think about it, Link never had to eat or sleep or anything in the game. And technically it did take a whole day of running to make it from Kokiri Forest to Hyrule Marketplace... Oh great..._

I sighed.

"That would be great. Thank you for anything you can spare," I told her. If the distance was as big as I suspected then I would probably need some supplies to stay alive. Not to mention I have no idea where or what I actually want to do. All I knew for certain at the moment was I didn't want to help Link, in petty revenge against the goddesses.

"Do you want to go out and relax in the village while I prepare some supplies for you?" Saria asked me. I shrugged.

"I guess," I confirmed. "You'll be able to find me again right?" She nodded and let me walk by her.

Kokiri Forest looked basically like it did in the game. The main differences I noticed were that it looked more real and that a group of Kokiri were currently waiting right outside for me. I cursed Saria in my head for convincing me to go outside. I've never wanted to be a celebrity, but from the crowd that had gathered, as in most of the Kokiri, I suddenly felt a bit too popular for my liking.

It didn't help that they all suddenly stopped talking as soon as I appeared.

"Err… Hi?" I tried.

They all stared at me.

Then they all suddenly swarmed me, surrounding me, each one screaming out questions and trying to be louder than the rest. It was deafening, pure noise. I was jostled and pushed slightly as each Kokiri tried to attract my attention by pulling on my clothes as well.

I tried to retreat back into Saria's house. It was in vain though, as that had already been blocked off by a couple of them.

"Quiet!" I screamed out, desperate for the noise to stop. It worked as they soon stopped talking, eager to hear me speak it seemed.

_I don't want people to know about my connection to the goddess… But I don't know how many of these Kokiri actually saw my mark. I guess I'll make up an excuse and let Saria tell the ones who know to keep quiet about it._

"I, err… I am on a secret mission from Princess Zelda and err… That's all I can really say on the matter. I'd appreciate you keeping it a secret that I came here and I'm afraid I can't answer any questions on how I came to be here," I made up as I went along.

I figured I wasn't that likely to actually meet Zelda and it was even less likely for her to find out about this and if she did then I could just tell her I used it as a quick excuse to try to hide from Ganondorf. I'm sure she'll understand if she ever finds out.

I could almost feel the disappointment coming from all of the Kokiri. Oh well, life is full of disappointments, I myself knowing that from being ripped from my own life.

_Wait, is Link is this group? I don't want to meet him after all and the less contact I have with him the easier it will be to avoid him in the future. _

I looked around, looking at each Kokiri's face and comparing it to Links. None of them looked like him. He wasn't here.

_Phew. That makes it easier. Wait. If he's not here then where is he? _

I mentally shrugged. I guess it didn't matter where he is as long as he's not here.

I wandered over to the pool of water close by, ignoring the Kokiri sitting above the shop and trying to get my attention. Something was nagging me, something I needed to solve.

I looked down and winced. This was just another thing to add to my list of reasons to hate the goddesses.

I stared at my reflection. The most obvious thing was my pointy ears. The other less obvious thing was that I seemed to be younger. I assume the goddesses decided to make me the same age as Link for some stupid reason. I had thought I felt shorter and now I know why.

I was wearing a green tunic; I guess the Kokiri changed me from me previous clothes for some reason, or I lost all of my clothes when I entered this world. I looked just like a Kokiri in fact.

"Sophie!" I heard Saria calling. I turned away from my reflection, focusing on the girl running over with a backpack in her hands.

"Here you go," she said, handing me the backpack. I took it from her and opened it to examine the contents.

It held a deku stick, some nuts and berries that I guessed were edible and a bedroll.

"I'm sorry it's not much, I would've added more but I didn't have anything else" Saria told me mournfully.

"Don't worry about it. I'm very grateful for all that you've done for me" I smiled at her gratefully. She smiled back.

"The great Deku Tree is dead!"

I turned. I saw who I assumed to be Mido standing at what I also assumed to be the entrance to the Deku Tree's grove. He carried on shouting.

"That loser Link must have done something! He was there with the Deku Tree!"

_Ah, that would be where Link was. Does that mean I appeared just after Link went into the Deku Tree? I must have just missed him. Or at least, I hoped I missed him._

"Oh no… Link…" Saria muttered worriedly beside me.

Mido stopped shouting and waited where he was. I'm guessing he was going to confront Link when he came back.

"Come on Sophie, I'll show you where you can leave the forest…" Saria muttered. I nodded and walked alongside her.

It didn't take long to get to the bridge. Saria stopped halfway across.

"This is as far as I go. I'm going to wait here for Link. I know he'll leave the forest as well." Saria spoke softly.

"Thank you again" I told her.

"Would you…" She started.

I shook my head and cut her off. I already knew what she would say and I didn't want to get caught up in saving Hyrule. It wasn't my world.

"Sorry, I really have to get going" I muttered. Saria didn't say anything. I turned around and walked across the rest of the bridge and out of Kokiri Forest.

I didn't look back.

**Basically a boring chapter, here to build plot. Sorry. **


	3. Finding a Purpose in Hyrule

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**I spent a lot of time listening to the game over music of Chrono Cross for the last week. That 24 second music is now on repeat in my mind. If you want to check it out just search through Chrono Cross Ost for the piece 'Lost Before Light' on Youtube.**

**Special note to RedNemi. Every chapter I do that you don't "****completely butcher it right there, in front of everyone on the review board" makes me do a little jig of glee inside. Thank you for being supportive.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing (except my OC). It's that simple.

Chapter 3: Finding a Purpose in Hyrule

The trees soon gave way to a large field, stretching further into the horizon than I could see. The sun, already a little way up into the clear, blue sky, shone down like a familiar friend, warming my heart as well as my skin. A light breeze rippled across the short grass and danced across my skin. The trees swayed behind me, whispering softly and gently urging me onwards.

I travelled uphill towards the close by path that would take me towards Hyrule Marketplace. I made sure to head straight for the path as I couldn't quite remember where, but I knew there was a Peahat somewhere close by and more stationed around the rest of the field. I didn't really have any weapons, my Deku Stick still being in my backpack and staying there until I needed it. As the stick would break on the first contact with any monster, my first priority would be to flee rather than fight. I've never been in a fight before so I didn't want to accidently stumble across any monsters that would be able to easily kill me.

_If I remember my Hyrule geography right then to the east of the path there is a river that runs down from Zora's Domain towards Kakariko Village._

However, I still didn't actually know what I was going to do.

I mean, it was easy enough to say to myself that I was going to go off on my own… But at the moment I have no purpose in this world. No quest to drive me on.

_How will I be able to feed myself and survive?_

Questions plagued my mind like biting rats and I groaned as I couldn't think of any answers. I almost sunk to the path I was following in despair, but quickly steadied myself and just focused on placing one foot in front of the other in an attempt to keep walking.

For now… I would head to Kakariko Village in the hopes of finding odd jobs that I may be able to do as a child and get a small amount of money to live off of. At the very least I may be able to beg for some money as I'm sure some of the citizens would be moved with compassion if I was starving to death.

I kept plodding along the path. The scenery was nice to look at along the way. Very lush and green…

Damn I was bored.

I suppose it doesn't help that I have nothing to do but walk, no one to talk to but myself and no real purpose in mind to drive me forward. The scenery was alright to look at but easily got boring quickly. As in, I've seen one tree, I've seen them all. Grass stretched on into the distance with seemingly no change to colour or size.

I sighed.

The sun slowly kept rising and then just as gradually began to drop as I kept trudging along. Unfortunately, Hyrule Field was quite a bit bigger than in the game and was no longer a five minute run. If it took a 'day' of running in the game to get somewhere then it would take a day of walking now. Or at least, that's what I'm assuming based on the size.

The desire for nourishment grew from within my stomach until it was too large for me to easily ignore. I moved off of the path and headed towards the river in the distance.

Once there I removed the backpack I was carrying from my back and dropped to the floor with it. Opening it, I withdrew the nuts and berries that Saria had provided to me. Walking for hours had made me work up an appetite and I devoured the food. Of course, I hadn't actually eaten anything since I left my world so I was pretty hungry. I drank from the river and washed down the food I had eaten.

Sitting there for a while, I reminisced about home. I guess I never truly appreciated all that I had until I no longer had it. Now I have no home, no source of food, no money, no family or friends, nothing.

All I had were the clothes on my back, the backpack that Saria gave me, and the Triforce symbol on the back of my hand that marked me as having a connection to the deities of this world.

I felt like crying but knew I needed to move on. After I stood up shakily I started moving north, following the river and drinking water as needed, but otherwise I just kept walking. The light in the sky kept inching down until it started to grow dimmer.

I started to hurry. Kakariko Village had to be close as I could see the bridge in the distance and I wanted to reach it before it became night.

I didn't.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon and skeleton hands burst from the ground around me, Stalchildren climbing up close by.

I almost froze at the sight of them; their bony, gray limbs were a stark contrast to their glowing, red eyes. I was terrified but managed to keep moving.

I ran... and I tripped.

Well actually, to be more accurate a pair of hands came grasping out of the dirt right in front of me and I didn't see it, as I was too busy keeping a close eye on dodging any Stalchildren that were attempting to bar my way in front of me.

I cursed myself for being stupid as I landed flat on my face, mud smearing across my face and blinding me. I quickly sat up and wiped my face on my shirt, trying to clear enough away from my eyes so I could see.

A sudden impact from behind sent me flying forward and my back cried out in sharp pain. This time my arms stopped me from being blinded again, as they were luckily in front of my face. However, that did nothing to stop the next blow that landed on my head, making it harder to think as more pain assaulted my senses.

I tried to roll away, cradling and clutching at my head, only to bump into a pair of bony legs. Another attack sent me rolling back towards where I had just been, which led to another attack.

I was completely surrounded. Blows rained down upon me and I cried out in horror.

There was nothing I could do.

I was going to die.

_So this is how it all ends huh? How utterly pathetic..._

I wanted to scream out at the injustice of it all. I did scream out; in pain, in anger, in sorrow.

_I thought the goddesses wanted me for something? I guess this is the ultimate revenge against them then..._

I tried comforting myself with that thought, but it didn't work.

I didn't want to die yet. I wanted to keep on living. I wanted to go home.

_If the goddesses want me so badly then they'll have to save me. Come on then goddesses, save your pet!_

I wished to survive, yet I knew there was nothing I could do.

I shouted aloud, bitterly in my head.

_Save me goddesses!_

The blows kept falling upon me. I could feel my life flashing before my eyes. I didn't want to die.

"SAVE ME!" I screamed out, snapping my eyes open and my whole body jerked and shook uncontrollably.

A force blew the Stalchildren away. The one in front of me was sent flying across the river. Another hit a tree and snapped into pieces, deflecting away as the tree groaned audibly. The rest were just sent flying and hit the ground a fair distance away, collapsing into bones and dust from the force. 

Winds blew forcibly for a moment and then stopped, returning the night to its previous state of peace.

I laid there in a state of shock. I was still alive.

More hands bursting from the ground around me snapped a sense of being back into me. I wasn't out of danger yet and I wanted to live.

I scrambled to my feet, pushing off of the ground with my hands and made sure my backpack was still where it should be.

Then I ran.

This time I made sure to avoid any potential tripping accidents again as I wasn't sure that any more miracles would be produced if I did fall over and nearly die again.

Of course, I was nearly dead as it was anyway. My limbs felt heavy and burdened. Pains and aches kept distracting me from nearly every part of my body.

I crossed the bridge that led over the river. Kakariko was close and I urged my body onwards. I wouldn't feel safe until I was inside the village. Harsh, short breaths escaped my mouth, my heart was burning as it kept pumping rapidly, trying to supply my tired muscles with enough oxygen to desperately keep going. Sweat dripped haphazardly from my pores and I quickly slowed to wipe my face on my shirt so that sweat wouldn't drip down into my eyes and blind me temporarily.

Once my face had been wiped I kept running at the fastest I could in my weakened state, dodging around a few more Stalchildren trying to barricade my way.

The stairs were close by. I resisted the urge to suddenly cheer in joy, as it would waste much needed breath. I stormed up them, reached the village gates and collapsed in front of the guard just outside, panting heavily and trying to drink in as much air as possible.

Darkness crept across my vision and blocked out the light and my consciousness floated away like a leaf on the wind.

I awoke to something tasting of cherries and strawberries being poured down my throat. I gagged and sat up, coughing and spluttering. A hand gently rubbed my back until I could breath freely again.

"I'm glad that you seem to be okay now" a kind voice spoke gently in my ear. I turned my body and looked at the person who had spoken. It was a lady, I recognised her as the person, in the game, that you had to collect the cuccos for as they had all run away.

"You slept through the first red potion and I was afraid it wasn't helping until you started getting better after a few hours. I got another potion to help as you wasn't recovering that fast" she told me. I nodded, trying to sort out my thoughts and remember what happened. I was nearly killed crossing Hyrule Field...

"My name is Anju, what's your name?" she asked me.

"Sophie" I automatically replied.

"Well Sophie, apparently you came into town and collapsed, nearly dead. Luckily, a bit of red potion and you already look healthy as a horse!" Anju exclaimed happily.

"Thanks for taking care of me" I stated, letting her know I was grateful.

"So how did you end up lying there at the gates, covered in deep bruising and nearly dead? Where are your parents?" she questioned. I grimaced and collected my thoughts.

_What should I say? I don't want it to get out that I'm from another world... _

"My parents... They aren't in this world..." I told her, trying to make it seem like they were dead, while still technically telling the truth. I encouraged this by looking slightly away and down, as if I was about to burst out in tears. It worked pretty well.

"Oh you poor dear... You're welcome to stay as long as you need" Anju said, taking one of my hands in both of hers and trying to reassure me or something.

_What do I want to do? I'm now here in Kakariko and this woman is offering me her home to stay in... But I really want to know more about what happened that allowed me to survive and how it affects me... _

_I wish I had gone and talked to the Deku Tree now as he seemed to know something... Oh well, no use asking what ifs... I feel like I'm missing something though. Surely there are other old beings in this world..._

I sat silently with Anju, pondering and trying to come up with what was on the edge of my mind. Suddenly it hit me.

_The Great Fairies! They may know something! Or at least, I hope they do. If they don't then I guess I'll have to try to track down that owl that seems to know stuff and pops up at random places. _

"Thank you Anju for your kindness and hospitality, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stay. I have a message that needs to be delivered to Princess Zelda" I said, sticking to the story that I had told Saria.

The woman nodded slowly, but looked suspicious. I'm guessing she didn't think that a child like me would need to see the princess. She didn't say anything though, for which I was grateful. I guessed that she either hadn't seen my Triforce mark or had but didn't know the relevance of it and thus didn't trust me as much as Saria had.

"Very well then," was her reply. "I'm just about to prepare breakfast; will you at least stay for that?"

My rumbling stomach answered her and she laughed as I looked sheepish. I sat and watched as she prepared and stirred something in a large cooking pot over a fire. She eventually poured some of it into two wooden bowls. I got up from the bed I was sitting on and sat at a table with her. It turned out to be some kind of stew with strange meat and vegetables.

To me it tasted like heaven.

All I had eaten in the last day were some nuts and berries and as such I was extremely peckish. I rapidly wolfed down everything in the bowl I was given and sighed in relief when I was done. Anju watched me as I ate with a smiling face and seemed to enjoy that I liked her food.

I waited until she had finished her own bowl before standing from the table and retrieved my backpack from where I noticed it lying on the floor close by. I checked and made sure that it held all of its contents, although it wasn't at all likely they would be gone. They were still there.

I said goodbye and thanked the kind woman again, before walking out of the house.

Kakariko Village was pretty quiet; it seemed to be quite early in the morning. Anju said I slept for a few hours, but I didn't feel tired at all... I guess the potions were giving me a boost in energy for awhile.

I paced around the town, thinking about my current situation.

_So I'm going to visit a Great Fairy Fountain in the hopes of some information about why I have this mark, but which one to visit?_

I considered my options.

_There are two on Death Mountain, but one is inside the volcano and the other at the summit. I doubt I'd be able to climb it and I wouldn't be able to get past the guard that blocks the exit from Kakariko to Death Mountain anyway. _

_There's the one outside of Hyrule Castle that's very easy to get to, I just have to get some bombs somehow. Technically, I guess that Great Fairy is the same one seven years in the future but she still gives you another upgrade anyway. Or maybe the original Great Fairy's Fountain got destroyed and another moved in? I don't know... _

_The one close to Jabu-Jabu would be easy to get to if it wasn't for King Zora blocking the entrance. Although I don't know if I would be a good enough swimmer to get the silver scale… I also don't want to collect the letter myself in case I accidently get involved and get swallowed by the giant fish. I think I would throw up a lot and there is no way I am dealing with a young, bratty Ruto. I also can't be bothered to wait for Link to get around to clearing the way for me..._

_And then there is the last one out in the Gerudo Desert. That would probably be the hardest to get to as I would have to somehow convince the Gerudo Tribe to let me pass through their fortress and somehow cross the desert. I don't think there is much chance of that happening. _

"So it looks like I'll be going to Hyrule Castle then" I spoke aloud.

I waited around restlessly for the sun to rise. I wanted Hyrule Field to be safe before I would cross it again.

Luckily, it wasn't that long before the sun could be seen peeking out from behind the horizon. I left Kakariko Village and walked down the stairs and out onto the large plains. A soft wind blew steadily and chilled my face. I shivered slightly, remembering my desperate run from the night before.

I started walking towards Hyrule Marketplace, eager to be off of the plains as soon as possible. I wanted to never be on these plains at the night again, as I was in no hurry to repeat my near death experience.

It would have helped if I had a weapon and could actually fight. My Deku Stick was in my backpack, but that would have broken quickly.

I sighed and tried to just focus on traveling.

A few hours passed before I arrived at my destination. I crossed the lowered drawbridge and strolled into the town. Bustling crowds greeted me, going about their business. Vendors at market stalls screamed out about their wares and special offers that were available.

"Bombs! Get your bombs here, only 5 rupees each or 30 rupees for 10!" A close by voice was shouting. I looked and saw a large man shouting behind a market stall that was obviously selling bombs.

_Great, now all I have to do is buy some… Oh wait, I don't have any money._

I noticed that the vendor was now talking to another man and they seemed to be haggling. I looked at the bombs on the stall. It would be so easy to take one or two while he was distracted…

_No! I'm not a thief, I don't steal things!_

But I did need a bomb desperately if I wanted to see the Great Fairy.

_Dammit… Just this once, I guess…_

I walked around to the side of the stall, casually grabbing a bomb as I spun and sat down so the vendor could no longer see me. I then pulled out my backpack and put it inside.

_Well, that was quite easy._

A shadow blocked out the sun above me. I looked up and saw a guard leering down at me, another guard standing close by.

"Looks like we have a thief on our hands" he said, glaring down at me. I cursed silently.

"What do you mean? I'm just minding my own business, before going down to admire the castle later" I muttered, hoping they were just assuming and hadn't actually seen me steal the bomb. I doubted my chances of getting away as I was currently sitting on the floor and would have to somehow have to slip past the two guards.

Unfortunately, I guessed that they did see me steal it as they grabbed my backpack and removed the bomb I had just taken. The one with the bomb gave it back to the vendor, who was currently looking at me with disdain. The other grabbed my right arm and lifted me to my feet before half dragging me in the direction of the castle.

"Why are you taking me to the castle? I'm just a child, please have mercy" I begged. I hoped the guard wasn't planning on throwing me into a dungeon to rot for the rest of my life.

"Quiet" the guard growled in reply. "You were trying to steal explosives and then go to the castle afterwards. That seems to me like either you wanted to damage the castle or you want to hurt someone."

I considered that. It did sound pretty bad when it was put like that.

"It's just a misunderstanding! Please let me go!" I continued to beg. The guard ignored me, looking annoyed at my whining.

I struggled to keep up with the guard who had an iron-vice grip upon my arm. We went past other guards, most of which looked at me in surprise or confusion and others looked at me with indifference.

We went inside the castle. As you never got to go inside the castle in the game, this was new territory for me. I was forced down corridors with plush red carpets and paintings that sat on the walls and showed different places or people. Eventually we reached a set of double doors, which the guard stopped at and knocked.

"Enter" a voice boomed from within. The guard opened half the door with one hand, pulled me inside and shut it again.

"What is it you want guardsman?" the voice coming from a man sitting on a throne and wearing a crown. The guard brought me to the king of Hyrule?

Oh great…

He was currently looking towards a person who was kneeling on the floor, who from the dark skin, armour he was wearing and bright red hair could only be Ganondorf.

"This girl was trying to steal explosives in the town and had plans to visit this castle afterwards. I wish to throw her in the dungeons; even if she is just a child she is a danger to society" the guard spoke.

I could almost sense the unheard sigh from the king as the guard dragged me forward until I was next to Ganondorf.

"I'm sure it was just a…" the king trailed off and stared at me. I was a little unnerved and confused. Ganondorf turned slightly to look at me as well and froze. I wondered what they were looking at, until I realised the guard was still holding my right arm tightly and it was in the air with the back of my right hand visible for everyone to see.

Ganondorfs lips started to twitch, he looked like a kid that had just been handed a Christmas present and was obviously trying hard to control himself from letting out an evil laugh of triumph.

The mark of the Triforce sat visible on my hand with the three centre lines glowing slightly, easily recognisable to those who knew the royal secret and Ganondorf, who somehow knew what it was anyway.

I cursed the goddesses inside my head.

**It was a bit longer than I expected it to be, but I got there in the end. So yes, my OC now has her own quest! Yay…**


	4. Everyone Wants Me

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**Special note to RedNemi. After last chapter I figured I would try reverse psychology. So yes, I look forward to you ripping my chapter apart on the review board. **

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. I wish I did but that's life.

Chapter 4: Everyone Wants Me

The one thing that I wanted to do in this world was not let myself be known to Ganondorf. Now, not only did I fail that, but I got caught stealing explosives and both Ganondorf and the king recognise that I am connected to the deities of Hyrule.

Ganondorf smirked openly now, having seemingly given up on trying to control his facial features. I was half expecting him to just kidnap me right now, but he seemed intent on staying in the background for now as he didn't do anything.

The king had his eyes closed and seemed to be in deep thought, atop his throne. I just stayed silent as anything that I could say would just make the situation worse.

He opened his eyes again and looked straight at me.

"Yes… I believe you may be right guardsmen. This child is a danger to society and would benefit from spending some time in the dungeons. I feel that it may help her impudent behaviour." The ruler's words cut through me and made me tremble on the spot.

I had thought and hoped for a moment that I would get away with just a slap on the wrist and be released.

"But your majesty…!" I cried out before being silenced by a sharp rap on the head.

"Quiet you criminal! Only speak when spoken to!" my guard shouted at me. I winced and rubbed the sore spot on my head with my free hand.

I locked eyes with the king. The returning look gave no sense of mercy or sympathy. To him I was no longer a citizen of his land-not that I was anyway-but instead all he saw was a mere tool, someone that he could use and discard at his whim. Hot, livid anger simmered furiously inside of me.

_This Triforce symbol… It just marks me as someone different. It curses my life. I feel like the goddesses put this on my hand just to force me to become involved in Hyrule's troubles... _

"Take her away," the king commanded. My glare stayed locked with the king's gaze as I was dragged backwards from the room.

Comfortable carpet covered floor soon turned into cold, unforgiving stone. Torches sat in sconces and the flickering light emitted spooky shadows across the Spartan corridor. Iron bars were set in the walls along with a door of the same material. Looking through the bars showed filthy men and women dressed in rags. Most were begging my guard captor for release as we went by. I shivered slightly.

We reached what I assumed to be my cell. It was similar to all the others. My guard already had a key in hand and was unlocking and pushing the door open. A moment later and I was being shoved inside, the door slammed behind me with a sense of finality.

A glance revealed everything in my dark cell. A small slit in the wall let in small amounts of sunlight. A bed of hay sat alongside the opposite wall. There was nothing else. I sat down on the hay.

The cell opposite me was empty. The corridor was mostly quiet, with the occasional prisoner muttering inaudible things. There was nothing for me to do but wait.

Suddenly I felt something brush against my leg. I screamed and kicked out at the furry mouse and watched as it scuttled out of sight. I sighed in relief and lay down on the hay. It was a lot more uncomfortable than I was used to and the hay kept poking, itching and tickling my skin. I fidgeted for a while until I found a semi-comfortable position and then lay still, closing my eyes and trying to relax as much as possible.

Time passed without measure. I lay without caring, wrapped in a blanket of memories and thoughts of home. The goddesses sent me here for a reason, but right now it seems like they sent me here just to screw with me.

Sounds of scraping metal attracted my attention enough to warrant opening my eyes. I waited and eventually the noise was revealed to be a chef with some kind of trolley and bowls that released steam. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since early this morning. The chef opened a flap at the bottom of the door and pushed the bowl through, with a wooden spoon included.

I pushed myself off of the hay, stepped forward and scooped up the food. It looked disgusting.

_Is this even edible?_

I poked the slop that I had been given and watched it ripple slightly. The smell wasn't very appetizing and it was a horrid brown colour. I grimaced. I dipped my spoon into it and brought it up to my mouth, eyes closed so I could try to pretend I was eating something that I wouldn't just throw away normally.

It was horrible.

I chewed conflicting textures. There was some kind of chewy, oily meat and hard vegetables. At least, I hoped they were vegetables. The whole thing was overly spicy as if whoever made it had no taste buds. I wanted to gag, but instead I threw up.

I groaned softly and clutched at my stomach. I threw the bowl away; it landed on my bed and spilt its contents, ruining the hay. The taste of bile was still prominent in my mouth, but I had nothing to get rid of it.

Almost as if it was in response to an unspoken wish of mine, another chef appeared with a trolley containing cups. I eagerly waited for him to push the cup through and snatched it up. I sipped and gargled some of the liquid, trying to wash away the awful taste. I spat it out in a corner and quickly drank the rest.

Not knowing what to do with the cup I simply put it down outside of the bars. I did the same with the bowl and spoon. I sat down with my back to a wall and wrapped my arms around my raised knees.

This had to be the worst day of my life. I don't think I could top being arrested and thrown into a dirty, dank dungeon. I had no hope of being rescued either. It seemed like I could be stuck in this cell for the rest of my life.

"Hey you, why are you in here?" A voice cut through the air. I looked up towards the door to see a short, cloaked figure.

"I needed a bomb and got caught trying to steal one," I replied uncaringly.

"And why did you need a bomb?" the stranger continued to question.

"Because I needed one to reach someone who I felt could give me some answers," I said, eyes narrowing in suspicion at the person. The voice sounded young and high pitched. I had a feeling I knew who this was, but I needed to confirm it before making any wild accusations.

"You know… Your father probably wouldn't be too happy if he found out you were down here talking to me…" I suggested. They recoiled as if I had physically struck them.

"Isn't that right, Zelda?"

Short but slender hands reached forward and gripped the bars of my cell. She looked like she was struggling to retain her composure. I couldn't really make out any of her face, but I'm sure it would have been priceless to see.

I had completely forgotten about the window that Zelda uses to spy on her dad. If she was here then it was very likely that she had seen everything.

"How…?" She trailed off.

"How many young girls do you know of in this castle that would somehow secretly get past the guards and come visit a prisoner?" I shrugged. "It wasn't that hard to work out."

She stood up straighter, hand returning to her sides and her clothes covered them once again.

"I have a proposition for you, Wind Sage."

Now it was my turn to recoil.

_Wind Sage? What the hell is she talking about? _

"What is this proposition?" I asked after a moment of recollecting myself.

"My father most likely plans on trying to use you as a weapon. Ganondorf, the man that you saw kneeling in the throne room, is likely to try to kidnap you quite soon and control you in some way. Ganondorf is an evil man and plans on destroying Hyrule. My proposition is that I release you and you help me and a person called Link save Hyrule from him." Zelda explained.

_Great, everyone wants me... Still, this is an easy choice…_

"I accept on the condition that you give me supplies, including bombs. If you release me and give me that then I will help you destroy Ganondorf." I told her.

"Very well… Impa, go and collect supplies for her," Zelda called out. I'm guessing her servant was probably around and making sure the princess was safe.

"I have a question," I stated. "What did you mean when you called me 'Wind Sage'?"

"You mean you don't know?" Zelda asked, sounding surprised. I merely stayed silent.

"Umm… All I know is from what I've read in the castle library. Merely that they would have an image of the Triforce on their person and that it would be glowing from a line of each triangle, so that the centre three lines shine."

"That's a mouthful," I interrupted and giggled.

"The only other thing I know is that they apparently have power over wind." Zelda continued.

_Was that what happened with me? Did I save myself with some kind of power over wind?_

Suddenly, Impa appeared. Zelda introduced her as her attendant while Impa produced a key and unlocked the door.

I stood up and walked out. I looked forward to leaving this place and never coming back.

"Impa will lead you out. Go to Death Mountain and help Link collect the Spiritual Stones. He can explain to you what they are and why we need them, but I need to get back before I'm missed," Zelda said, before walking away briskly.

Impa led me down the corridor and past the other prisoners.

"Won't they tell the guards that you let me go?" I questioned.

"They don't even know who I am and you could've just been given an early release. They'll make up something to justify you leaving I'm sure." Impa answered.

We walked in silence for a while. We went through a door and came out into the more friendly looking hallways. An unconscious guard sat hunched over in a chair.

_Well that explains how Zelda was able to just waltz in without anyone knowing. Must be nice to have a ninja-like servant…_

We walked down the hall for about a minute before Impa pulled down a seemingly random torch sconce. I heard the grating of stone moving upon stone, but saw no obvious changes in the corridor.

I looked at Impa, who smirked back before she grabbed a torch and lit it. She then raised a tapestry up and revealed a secret passage. She led the way inside and closed it behind me. I followed behind her.

The passage obviously wasn't used very often, judging by the fact that I could practically taste the dust and kept brushing against cobwebs. The torch illuminated a little way, but inky darkness was all that could be seen further down the path.

Impa plunged on ahead, not faltered by the dark. I kept up behind her, the tunnel too narrow to walk beside her.

We made it through quickly and Impa opened up the exit, and we appeared out in an empty alleyway, behind strewn trash and broken boxes. Impa pushed a triangle that was engraved on the wall inwards and the secret passage closed behind us.

"Here are your supplies" Impa spoke, offering a backpack to me. I took it from her.

"Why is it so light?" I asked.

"The backpack is magical," Impa answered. "It can hold a lot more than first appears and weighs only the weight of the material and nothing inside."

I nodded in understanding.

"Link is a brave lad... But there are many perils on a journey to save the world and he would do well with an ally at his side," Impa continued. I recognised that she was referring to me, but didn't say anything.

"Good luck. Make sure you don't tarry long in town as the guards will eventually find out you're missing from your cell," Impa finished, throwing down the Deku Nut in her hand and disappearing with a crack and flash of light.

Unfortunately, I have something else I needed to do before trying to find Link. It took more trouble than I first anticipated but I eventually got some bombs.

I can finally go see the Great Fairy.


	5. Getting Some Answers

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**Yay, another chapter once again! It took a little longer than all of my previous ones, but it is finally here. I want to say a thank you to RedNemi for your unwavering support and to Egima for being my second reviewer.**

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Zelda. That right is reserved for Nintendo.

Chapter 5: Getting Some Answers

Hyrule Marketplace looked just how I had left it, albeit quite busier. Bustling crowds swarmed around like insects, buzzing to each other and trying to get close to the different market stools. The sun stood high in the sky, beating down upon me with a constant force of pressure and heat.

I was actually quite surprised to see that it only seemed to be about midday. I stood still for a moment trying to work out the timeline of my imprisonment. I left Kakariko early in the morning, and it took a little while to get here, then I got caught stealing, brought to the king and chucked into a dungeon. The food, if it could even be called that, was probably lunch.

_Huh… It seemed longer… _

I walked into the crowds, bumping and jarring my way through towards the castle.

_There were never this many people in this place in the game!_

Eventually I made it to the path and walked down it, grateful that I could once again move without being pushed along a current of people. I stared at the castle as I approached and thought it ironic that I would come back to it straight after I escaped.

I stopped by the vines, which grew all the way to the top of the wall around the corner from the castle gates, gripped one of them in my hands, and began to climb.

It was easier than I expected. I originally thought that the vegetation would be loose and easily pulled out of the rock. Instead, it seemed to form a ladder that was immovable, easy to reach and to hold onto. I reached the top quickly and began walking.

I had just reached the top of the gatehouse when I heard a shout in the distance. I turned slightly and saw two guards were rushing towards me from across the bridge.

_What…? They couldn't see you here in the game!_

That was probably why; I'm still looking at this as if this is all a game. When playing the game you could quite clearly see them and yet they don't notice you at all. In the game they were the worst guards possible, but now it turns out they are actually quite competent.

I rushed down the ladder, trying to be quick but still not fall, as I doubted I would be able to just shrug it off like Link. I reached the bottom, ripped open the door of the guardhouse and charge outside.

I almost expected the gate to be open and the guard that was usually on duty to be waiting for me. Instead, the gate was still shut and the guard just looked lazily at me and stood there. I blinked, ignored him and ran towards the boulder.

_Wait… How do I light a bomb?_

Link would always just pull it out and it would light… But, with this being reality I'm guessing I'll probably need some way of lighting the fuse on the end.

I shrugged and pulled a bomb out of my backpack. Instantly the end of the fuse caught and began burning down towards the explosive. I stared stupidly and opened mouthed at it in my hands for moment before realising that I was holding a live bomb and tossed it away from me quickly.

The bomb rolled slightly and came to rest close to the boulder that blocked the way to the Great Fairy's domain. It then exploded and shattered the boulder into rubble and ash. It was a lot louder than I expected and I could see guards swarming towards me from both the castle and the gates.

I stumbled down to the small space that had opened up and began to crawl through it, the shouts and orders of guards fading away behind me. The tunnel was very small and crawling through it was made me feel uncomfortable.

_Good thing I'm not claustrophobic._

I reached the other side and stood up, relieved to have some room to move around. The room was dim, even with a white floor. What looked like water or light fell from the walls. The torches were lit near a pool of water at the far end of the room. I approached the pool and stood on top of the crest of the royal family that lay engraved into the floor.

_Now what? I don't have an ocarina and wouldn't be able to play it even if I did have one._

Feeling foolish and a little apprehensive, I started to hum Zelda's Lullaby aloud.

Nothing happened.

I glared down at the pool and my reflection. I clenched my hands and let out a sigh in frustration.

"Hello!" I called out. "Is anyone down there?"

The water remained motionless. I glanced back towards the hole I had crawled through and was glad that the guards were too big to follow me. I turned back to the water.

"I need help!" I tried again. "I need to know about my powers and why I've been called Wind Sage!"

A flash of light from both my hand and the floor attacked my vision. Joyous laughter spun through the air as the Great Fairy appeared from beneath the surface of the pool. I squinted through my half shut eyelids and blinked rapidly so I could see again after the overwhelmingly bright light.

I looked up at the floating figure and tried hard to ignore the fact that she was naked apart from thin vines wrapped around her body and giving her very little modesty.

"Ah..." She purred gently. "I was wondering when you would show up, Wind Sage..."

I tried raising an eyebrow, but ended up squinting in one eye and looking confused.

"I was told by the goddesses to expect you and the Hero of Time at some point," she told me, having seen my confusion. "Although I don't see the Hero anywhere..."

"I believe he's on his way to Death Mountain," I answered.

"Oh..." she pouted. "So why are you here and not there, Wind Sage?"

"I have questions," I stated.

"Then ask away."

"What does it mean for me to be this… Wind Sage?" I asked. "Why is there a fourth triangle on the back of my hand? What powers do I have and how do I use them? Why did the goddesses pick me?"

The Great Fairy floated in silence for a moment.

"I'm guessing that you didn't talk to the Deku Tree, did you?"

"No, I didn't get a chance to before he died," I replied. "That's why I came to you."

"Very well then, let me tell you about who you are in this world," she said. "You are the Wind Sage. This means that you are the avatar of the goddesses' will."

"Wait a second," I interrupted, "I thought the Triforce is the avatar of the goddesses."

"You misunderstand." The Great Fairy answered. "The Triforce is the avatar of the goddesses' power. As such, it has no coherent thought and will obey the wishes of anyone good who touches it and shatter into three pieces if anyone evil manages to take it. But, the Triforce can be reformed when the three pieces come into contact with each other and evil can gain power over it. You on the other hand are the avatar of the goddesses will. You act in the name of the goddesses. Your actions are what they want."

"Wait, what?" I interrupted for a second time. "I hate them for what they've done to me. Why would I want to do their will?"

"You have to remember that the goddesses know this and have most likely planned for this from the start for some reason," the Great Fairy shook her head. "They are most likely aware of your feelings and are counting on them to lead you to doing whatever it is that they want."

_Great… Stinking deities…_

"Anyway, as I was saying; you are the avatar of their will and the Triforce symbol on the back of your hand marks you as such. However, unlike what you seem to think there is no such thing as a fourth triangle. If you look carefully you will notice that the middle triangle isn't glowing, but one line from each of the other three that forms the middle is."

I looked and noticed that she was correct. It was only the lines that were glowing and not the triangle.

"This is symbolic as you are literally balance of the Triforce. You are the goddesses will over their power."

"So the goddesses want me to use their power to protect their power? Why though? I'm just as likely to use it myself if I get a hold of it." I stated dryly.

"I don't know. But I'm sure they know what they are doing," she replied.

I sat still for a moment trying to absorb everything I'd learned.

_How is everything I do what the goddesses want though? I have free will and can choose what I want to do… Yet, they know I know that and they know me and how I'll react and what actions I'll choose. So they know I know that they know and so no matter what decision I do will be something they know I'll do in advanced and… This is hurting my head…_

"Okay… What about my power?" I asked. "How do I learn to use it, to control it?"

"That is simple," was the answer. "You already have the power locked away inside of you and each of the Great Fairies can unlock a piece of it for you to access and use."

I nodded in understanding.

"Not only this," she continued. "There is a staff of some kind somewhere in this world that belongs to you; the Staff of Wind or Wind Staff depending upon what you want to call it. I don't know what kind of staff it is or what it looks like, but I do know that by using it the Wind Sage's powers are increased. I also know that the staff has six indentations for gems that can only be given from the sages and these gems will increase the power and control to the Wind Sage even further."

"So I need to find the Great Fairies, this staff and the sages for their gems if I want to use my power to its greatest capacity…" I murmured aloud.

The Great Fairy nodded and held out her hands towards me.

"I will unlock the first lock on your powers. Brace yourself."

She had literally said that when a force hit me and I collapsed ungracefully to the floor. I felt something spin inside of me and then I was shaking uncontrollably, my bones were rattling and I couldn't control my body.

I began to float up into the air. A strong breeze erupted from me and I felt the wind as it circled around me.

Suddenly I fell and landed face first into the floor. I groaned into the ground and sighed that it was over. It wasn't painful, but it was definitely uncomfortable.

"You can now access some of your power," said a voice from above me.

I rolled over and stood back up, breathing a little heavier than a moment ago.

"So what can I do now?" I asked.

"You can now release wind from your body" she said. "At the moment you can't really shape it into anything though. You should be able to release it continually to create a barrier around you, or you can just release a force of wind around you to push things away from you. However, just remember that as you are now you will have to use your power sparingly; it will drain you of your energy very quickly."

I tried what she described and made a barrier easily, almost instinctively. The power was inside of me and I could just reach in and command it. The barrier was invisible, but I could feel the wind swirling around me like it was connected to me.

I smiled and pushed my hand towards the barrier. It moved with my hand, staying the same distance away from every part of my body. I concentrated and forcefully expelled wind from my body and it blasted away from me.

The force slammed into the Great Fairy, and in the next second she crashed into the far wall. I gaped in surprise at the power behind what I had just done and also had to concentrate on not collapsing to the floor in exhaustion.

I watched as she peeled herself off of the wall, waved her hand and was covered in light for a second. She did the same thing for me and my tired limbs had their strength returned to them. I stood up straighter and sighed in relief.

"Um… Sorry about that…" I coughed nervously.

"It's okay, you're still learning," she waved off my apology. "Don't do it again though. My relationship with the wall isn't good enough for me to want to be embedded into it."

"Thanks for all of your help," I said to her gratefully.

"Go on, the Hero needs your help," she smiled at me. "Just remember to pay a visit to my sister on Death Mountain."

"I will!" I called back while walking towards the hole. With a laugh the Great Fairy disappeared into the pool behind me and I crawled into the exit.

Reaching the other side, I stood up into the sunlight and immediately noticed the guard that stood close by watching the hole. He saw me at the same time.

"You're coming with me brat!" he shouted and tried to grab me. I flinched back and activated my barrier automatically. His fingers brushed across its invisible surface and were deflected away from my body.

I ignored the guard and began jogging towards the gate, desperate to get away before I ran out of energy. The guard yelled behind me, but couldn't do anything to stop me.

"Open the gate before I destroy it!" I bluffed when I reached the gate. The guard on the other side turned slightly and saw me and his comrade failing to touch me. His eyes widened and he hurriedly slammed the butt of his weapon into the ground to signal for the gate to be opened.

"No you fool!" his ally yelled. It was too late though, for as the gate opened I slipped through. However, I knew that I had to lose my guards so I summoned the smallest amount of energy I could and released it.

The guard that was chasing me was lifted off of his feet and back through the open gate. The other was slammed into the wall he was standing next to. With both guards dazed I quickly kept moving and disappeared around the corner.

I turned off my barrier and walked across the marketplace towards the drawbridge. Both Link and the next Great Fairy were waiting for me at Death Mountain.

I knew where I was heading next then. Back to Kokiri Forest it was.


	6. Another Power-Up

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**Well I made a promise that I would do another chapter for Christmas and here it is! Thanks goes to RedNemi for breaking the review limit and to NekoKitty13 for being my third reviewer. **

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. When I say that I mean that I don't own the franchise, not just the blonde princess.

Chapter 6: Another Power-Up

I moved quickly across the drawbridge, desperate to make as much distance between myself and the castle as soon as possible. When my lungs started to burn I slowed, but kept walking at a fast pace. Eventually, the town was far enough away that I couldn't make it out anymore and I slumped to the floor in relief.

_Stupid guards… Why are they trying to arrest me when they have Ganondorf hanging around? He's so evil looking that it just screams "I'M A BAD GUY, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!"_

I sighed and decided to keep moving, my energy having returned much more quickly than I ever remembered… Maybe it's a perk of being the Wind Sage? Or it could just be something to do with this world. After all, Link has to run around everywhere so he'd have to have a lot of stamina…

Night came swiftly, taking me by surprise. A couple of Stalchildren burrowed out of the ground around me and I ignored them. It was quite surprising I wasn't afraid of them like I was before, especially considering they had nearly killed me.

I figured it was probably because I could actually defend myself now, not to mention the fact that they were so slow that I could outpace them while walking.

_Oh the things you notice when you aren't panicking and nearly dying. _

I walked all through the night, walking around the Stalchildren that feebly attempted to barricade my path. Whenever any got to close for comfort I would activate my Wind Release and their attacks would brush past my body. Then whenever I wasn't using my powers I would feel my energy returning to me.

Occasionally, I would also eat some random food that was in my pack while moving. I had no idea what some of it was, but it tasted alright so I didn't think about it too much.

I arrived at Kokiri Forest when the sun was just beginning to peek its head over the horizon. I still didn't feel at all tired, which was strange as after staying up all night one would normally be tired…

_Maybe I don't actually need sleep anymore? I mean, you never slept in the game… No! Bad Sophie! Stop thinking about this like it's still just a game! _

I mentally slapped myself.

_Hmm… Maybe it has something to do with being the Wind Sage? From now on if I come across anything I can't explain about myself I'll just blame it on that._

I walked through the dimly lit forest and climbed my way up to the entrance to the lost woods. I was just about to enter when I noticed something from my peripheral vision.

It was Saria and Link.

I froze when I saw them by Link's house as this caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting Link to be here and thought he would be on his way up Death Mountain. I didn't really feel like meeting Link yet, and although I promised Zelda I would help him, I think I can help better by unlocking as much of my power as possible. If I tried to help him at the moment I would just be like Navi, constantly calling for his attention to tell him what to do.

_Wow I'm currently as useful as Navi… That really sucks…_

As I sat there contemplating my absolute uselessness, Link glanced in my direction and seemed to freeze himself. I stumbled backwards and tripped.

I groaned, both in pain and because Link was now pointing a finger in my direction for Saria to follow. I scrambled to my feet and fled into the Lost Woods, ignoring the shouting for me to wait.

The trees seemed to bend around each other in a constant optical illusion, making it hard to know any clear direction. Paths looped around frequently and made it easy to leave a clearing in one direction and enter it again from the opposite direction. This wasn't at all like the game with how there were four very clear paths to choose from. Instead, any gap in the trees seemed to count as ways that you could travel onward.

However, none of this mattered to me as I knew the secret of the Lost Woods. Follow the music.

I stopped for an instant to listen before spinning around and going through a gap of trees right next to where I had come from. The music wasn't played by instruments of any kind, but I could clearly hear the birds singing for me to follow.

I soon found what I was after and wasted no time entering the passageway that led to Goron City. The underground passage was dimly lit periodically by torches, and I travelled down it for what felt like forever. I understood why it just teleported you in the game, as it's pretty dull to travel through.

Normally I would have gone up the Death Mountain path, but I chose this way for three reasons. One, I thought that Link was going up there and didn't want to meet him yet. Two, I'm a child and Zelda didn't give me her autograph to get past the guard at the gate. And finally, the guard might try to arrest me if he realises I'm an escaped prisoner.

Eventually I found my way blocked by boulders and a couple of bomb flowers growing close by. I blew up the boulders with a bomb from my pack and feasted my eyes on something other than cavern stone walls…

_Oh wait… It's still cavern stone walls… At least it's something different to look at I guess..._

I made my way outside, ignoring all of the Gorons in the process and walked around to where I could start climbing up the mountain. I completely ignored the Dodongo's Cavern as I had no desire to take away Link's pleasure at doing the dungeon.

_Not to mention I would probably die if I went in…_

I found the way up and cleared another boulder out of the way with a well-timed bomb that exploded at the right moment.

I ran down the path to the climbable wall, that once I was over I would be at the Great Fairy Fountain.

And then I paused and groaned.

_Now how do I get past three creepy spiders with skeleton faces that are crawling along the wall?_

Dammit… Link has the slingshot of course and I have nothing. All I have is one unlocked ability that is completely useless in this current-

_I could probably get up with that ability actually… _

I studied the wall. If I could time it right I could turn on my barrier and have them pushed off the wall without me losing too much energy and falling myself.

I grabbed a vine and started climbing. The first one noticed me almost instantly and charged. I froze in place and willed my barrier to appear around me. The Skullwalltula touched it and was deflected off the wall as it tried to climb onto the barrier itself. I deactivated it and carried on climbing.

The other two fell the same way. By only using my powers briefly I managed to conserve my energy and keep climbing with no problems. I reached the top, grateful that I was no longer hanging from a cliff by vines.

I noticed that the owl wasn't here, for which I was grateful. I never liked the owl as it talked too much.

Putting it out of my mind I bombed the wall that hid the fountain and entered swiftly. I walked up to the Triforce symbol.

"Great Fairy! I'm here for a power-up!" I called.

Nothing happened.

I glanced around, a little bit frustrated.

_How did I get the last one to appear? Let me think... I was shouting that I needed answers because I had no idea what being a Wind Sage was. _

"Um... I'm the Wind Sage?" I tried. My hand began to glow a bright golden colour and pulsed as the Triforce symbol I was standing on lit up. Laughter filled the room as the Great Fairy spun out of the fountain and hovered above me. I blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the dots that now danced across my vision.

"Did the Wind Sage mention she needed a power-up?" she spoke, her voice gently caressing my ears. "Well, luckily for you I am the Great Fairy of Power."

"Yay..." I stated dryly. "So what can you unlock within me?"

"Tch... Don't be so impatient, it'll get you nowhere" she told me. I simply shrugged and waited.

"Fine, are you ready?" The Great Fairy asked. "I'm going to unlock your powers now."

"Yeah I'm ready, hit me" I said. The Great Fairy floated down and smacked me on the head.

"Ow!" I yelled and glared at her.

"What?" She shrugged. "You wanted me to hit you for some reason."

I grumbled under my breath and didn't resist the urge to reply with something scathing.

"What the hell was that for you du-"

I was cut off as pain slammed into me with the force of a freight train and my insults got turned into groans as I found myself on the ground. A similar experience to my last time occurred with me floating in the air, having uncomfortable sensations and also the added bonus of pain.

_Urgh! It didn't hurt last time! What the hell! _

My body rattled enough to make my bones feel like they were being ground into each other and crumbling into shards that would soon puncture my organs and leave me dying a slow and painful death.

Yeah. Getting power quickly hurts. A lot.

A burst of wind alerted me to the fact that the pain was now over and I fell out of the air back onto the floor. I wheezed into the floor and sighed in relief as my muscles relaxed.

"Wow, that looked like it was quite painful" A chirpy voice sang into my ear.

"Really, was it that obvious?" I muttered, my voice laced with sarcasm.

"Yeah it was!" she replied, ignoring the sarcasm.

I pushed myself up so I was standing and leaned against the fountain.

"So why did that one hurt and the other one didn't?" I questioned.

"I don't know" she shrugged. "Maybe they just differ randomly or maybe they each get progressively more painful?"

I shuddered. It wasn't fun going through that one; going through another that would be more painful was not something I wanted to hear right now.

"Okay... What was unlocked?" I asked.

"Whenever you get an unlock you can simply manipulate wind better" the Great Fairy said. "Therefore, it is safe to assume that you can now do something with wind... Better..."

My left eye started to twitch. I took a deep breath and counted to 5 before I did something I regretted.

"I got that..." I spoke slowly and somewhat calmly. "I was hoping for more detail in what exactly was unlocked at this particular time."

"Well why didn't you say so?" She grinned at me. "You can now release wind from your palms and feet.

I gaped at her, open mouthed and eyes wide.

"That sounds... Completely useless..." I said. "Aren't you supposed to be the Great Fairy of Power?"

"Hey, I am for the Hero of Time!" she shouted. "It's not my fault your powers are locked in tiers, so it doesn't matter what order you visit us in as they'll unlock in a certain order!"

"Why would I want to release wind from my feet anyway?" I shook my head at the idea.

"Why not try it and find out?" The Great Fairy smirked. I didn't like that face but felt it was a good idea to test out my new power.

I concentrated and pushed a large amount of wind out of my feet. I suddenly rushed upwards, screaming as I smacked into the ceiling and experienced the disconcerting effect of having gravity catch up with me and drag me back downwards.

More screaming ensured as I spun through the air and wind surrounded me in an attempt to protect me from danger. I hit the ground and also bounced as wind cushioned me from the fall.

I lay panting and gasping for breath, my throat hoarse from the amount of shrill noise I had been made in such a short period of time.

The Great Fairy floated over me.

"Well that was pretty cool" she said.

"Why didn't you try to catch me?" I spat out.

"You're fine aren't you?" She shrugged.

I paused and thought about that. Apart from my throat now being sore and my hands aching from hitting the ceiling I was perfectly alright.

"Why am I not in agony from what just happened?" I asked, very confused.

"You're power as a Wind Sage protected you. The wind acted like a cocoon around you and stopped you from actually hitting the floor. Instead you hit the wind and then fell the last little bit of distance onto the floor."

"But doesn't my wind stay a certain distance from my body? How would I be able to touch it?" I was still confused.

"Your wind doesn't go through solid objects, so it wouldn't go through the floor. You would then hit that part of the wind and it would push against you and reduce the speed of your fall to nearly nothing for about a nanosecond, just before you hit the floor." She explained.

"So does that mean I can survive almost any drop?" I asked, contemplating what I could do with this.

"Yeah, pretty much," she said. "Although, that was from your last unlock! You should already know this stuff!"

"Apparently the Great Fairy was too lazy to explain it all" I stated.

"Anyway, you got the idea of what you can now do right?" she asked.

"So I can jump really high." I confirmed. "And you said I can do this through my hands so I'm guessing I can hit things away from me as well."

"Yep, but you can also jump while in the air if you do it with enough force," she said.

"Okay, I was wrong. This is pretty useful." I told her.

"And don't you forget it!" She grinned.

With a laugh she disappeared back into the fountain and left me standing there.

_Wow... That was abrupt. _

I shrugged and turned around, walking back out into the sunlight. I came out onto the ledge near the top of Death Mountain and looked downwards.

_Hmm... There's no owl to carry more down the mountain so how am I going to get down? Oh wait, I just found out that I can survive any drop so I can just jump. _

I froze, about to jump off. It was pretty high up and quite scary when looking down.

_Come on Sophie! Deep breaths, nothing to be afraid of. Just a very long drop that would kill anyone insane enough to do this normally._

I took a few steps back and ran forward to jump off, but tried to chicken out at the last second. Unfortunately, I tripped and my forward momentum carried me off of the edge. I instantly put a barrier while screaming and hit the ground below a couple of seconds later.

I sighed into the ground below me in relief. I was quite safe, but it was definitely still scary jumping from a height like that.

And I knew that I would have to do it again in the future.

I groaned.


	7. Swimming With The Fishies

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**Thank you to everyone who reviews my story! It is great to hear your opinion and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

Disclaimer: I've never said that I own this video game.

Chapter 7: 'Swimming' With The Fishies

The cool mountain air was a welcome contrast to the warm sunshine. I enjoyed the wind as it blew gently into my face and invited my hair to dance to its rhythm.

I'd started walking back the way I had come as I wanted to get to the next Great Fairy as soon as possible. The one awaiting me at Zora's Domain was the next one I could get to, with the other three being unavailable until I was seven years into the future.

_Let's see… With the exception of the one at Zora's Domain there is one inside Death Mountain, one outside Hyrule Castle and another in the Gerudo Desert._

I groaned. Some of them would take a while to get to as I would have to wait for Link to get the items necessary to access them and then hitch a ride with him. Unless I could somehow get to them anyway, but I didn't really see that happening.

I thought about the Great Fairy fountains that were scattered across the world and the possible upgrades they could unlock for me as I wandered down the mountain.

_It would be so cool if I could create hurricanes or whirlwinds whenever I wanted! Or if I could actually fly! Or…_

My thoughts continued like this until I found myself at the gate to Kakariko.

"Whoops" I muttered to myself. I meant to go back to the Goron passage and get back to the Lost Woods because I couldn't get past the gate. I made to turn around when I stopped because a thought smacked me across the face with how obvious the solution was.

_I can't go through the gate… But I can go over it._

I sighed and shook my head. I had almost forgotten about my latest power unlock, which would be weird considering my exhilarating experiences straight after.

I took a couple of steps back and charge forward, pumping wind through my feet and releasing it. I would have went straight up and my forward momentum would have carried me over the gate, except I waited too long and I ended up smacking into the gate instead.

I winced and groaned as my body peeled itself off of the metal bars and I fell back to the ground. The guard on the other side of the gate turned around at the sudden noise and gasped dramatically at me.

"You!" he exclaimed, pointing his finger. "You're the Wind Demon!"

I blinked, confused. "Who?"

"Wait right there," he said, running off.

I stood up, having no idea what was going on. He quickly returned with a piece of paper in hand and glanced at both the paper and I.

"Yes, you are!" he said. He turned the paper around so I could see what was on it.

A hand drawn picture of me looked back with the title "Wind Demon". Words like "Dangerous" "Criminal" "Sorcerer" "Wind Mage" were written randomly across the paper. I had a 10000 rupee bounty to be captured alive. My crimes were trying to blow up Hyrule Castle and assaulting guardsmen.

"I'm not the 'Wind Demon' but the 'Wind Sage'" I explained.

_Although Wind Demon does have a cool ring to it…_

"I don't really care about that, I just wanted the reward money. I could take a nice vacation from my guard duties and spend time with my son" said the guard, pausing for a moment and seemingly considering the notion.

"Well could you open the gate for me so I don't have to blow it down like the big, bad 'Wind Demon' that I am?" I asked politely.

The guard slammed the butt of his weapon into the ground and I watched as the gate pulled itself smoothly out of my way.

"Thanks," I said, walking up to the guard. I cut him off as he was about to speak by putting my palm onto his stomach and releasing a large amount of wind from said palm. The guard collapsed and moaned into the ground.

_Wow he looks pretty winded… Ah, it's so bad of me to make that joke…_

Still, having been my first time doing that, I realised that my palms could now be an effective weapon.

I walked around the groaning guard and calmly made my way out of town. On the way, I noticed more posters stuck to the walls of buildings. I also noticed people fearfully stepping out of my way.

_Yay, everyone now fears me… I feel like Ganondorf. Great…_

Now I'll have to be careful of all the guards in towns and of any overzealous civilians that were a bit too greedy.

Oh well, it's not like I could just march into Hyrule Castle and demand that the King tell his citizens that I'm not a criminal. That wouldn't go well…

I reached the stairs, sucker palmed the guard on duty and strolled leisurely away from Kakariko. The noon sun hung in the sky like a light bulb for the world. I made my way across the plains, towards Zora Domain. I swam across the river, grateful that I wasn't carrying anything heavy as my light muscles could barely get me across as it was.

I climbed onto the bank on the other side of the potential watery grave and continued on with my wet, weighed down clothes. Luckily the weather was warm and I didn't feel cold.

A bloated man sat on a woven rug in front of an iron gate with a burlap sack plopped in his lap, which his hand plunged into and out of at a constant pace, delivering several magic beans to his mouth with every second. He gave me a beady stare as he continued to feed, and he reached out with a plump foot and tapped an empty tray lain before him with a toe, a greedy smile playing across his large lips as he eyed me. I didn't stick around long enough to let him speak; instead I moved past and picked up the cucco that ran idly around the area and used it to navigate my way up the river.

I could've used my "Wind Jump" as I now felt like calling it, but it would use up my energy pretty quickly, and I didn't want to do that when there was an easier option available.

I reached the head of the river, where a waterfall concealed the entrance to Zora's Domain. I threw the cucoo into the rushing waters and watched as it quickly disappeared from sight. I figured it would find its way back to where I found it and Link could use it to get here, like I did.

_I'm such a nice person, not hindering Link by returning useful things for him. Although, I don't think people would say it was nice of me to throw cuccos into rivers… _

I focused on the waterfall that barred my path. I didn't have an ocarina to play mystical tunes on and make the waters recede. The main problem was that I wouldn't be able to jump through the waterfall.

_I need something to move the water or block it from hitting me…_

I could always use my Wind Jump and try to use it to counteract the force of the waterfall coming from above, although I had a feeling that idea would be quite painful. With the force of the waterfall coming at me from above and I would be using my own energy trying to push against it, my body would have a lot of force hitting it.

Not to mention if I ran out of energy I would be exhausted and the waterfall would push me down into the river and I would wash downstream. I might even drown if I was that tired.

_Surely there's a better solution… Well there is, I could always wait for Link to arrive and open the way for me._

But that would mean waiting around, doing nothing for ages. I might not be an impatient person, but I do want to unlock as much power as quickly as possible so that I can actually defend myself.

_I would just try jumping through the waterfall, but I already know that it would sweep me away. Hmm… I wonder if I could block the water with my barrier…_

As an experiment I activated my barrier and stood close to the edge of the ledge I was standing on. I watched as part of the water split apart and rained down on either side of my invisible blockade. I did a little jig in glee before I leaped through the waterfall and emerged no wetter than I already was.

I gazed upon the cavern of Zora's Domain. Sparkling water flowed down as a waterfall from the chamber where I knew King Zora sat. A large amount of water filled the bottom and different paths led around the giant underground room.

I followed a path downwards towards the water. Reaching the edge of land and liquid I powered up my barrier and jumped into depths. I fell to the bottom, water being pushed out of the way and wrapping around me in a perfect sphere.

I walked towards the underwater passageway that would lead to Lake Hylia and went inside. Inside, there were two different corridors.

_Uh… What…? _

I quickly picked the left one as I didn't want to run out of energy and have water pour in on me while down there. As I entered the new path I promptly got sucked into a powerful water current that dragged me down winding waterways.

Probably about half a minute later I was spat out at the other end, which looked very similar with two different ways and the underwater entrance. I figured the other one was a current that would drag me back up and ignored it, choosing to exit the tunnel.

I emerged in the water of Lake Hylia. I made my way over to the bottle to pick it up, but couldn't as my barrier would knock it away from me as I got close. I glared at the bottle, frustrated and annoyed.

I gave a sigh before releasing my barrier and having the water rush in and give me an unwanted embrace. I held my breath and I swam forward and downwards, trying to counteract the water as it tried to force me to rise to the surface. I grabbed hold of the bottle and activated my barrier again to give me some air-

-then I tried to scream into the water as nothing really changed. My barrier was in place, but the water was already inside the barrier and instead of getting expelled from the space between me and the wind as I thought would happen, for whatever reason I had thought such a thing, the water was now merely trapped inside.

I released my control over the wind barrier and pushed wind through my feet and expelled it forcefully. I rose suddenly, shooting out of the water like a rocket and having the fun of re-experiencing my restrictive relationship with gravity as it drags me away from the sky, like a parent dragging their child from something they consider bad.

I smacked into the ground, wind cushioning my fall and saving my life again. I sighed as I felt the ground comfortably beneath me. I truly never appreciated it enough but, after experiences like that-

"You!" A male voice called.

I looked up and spotted a Zora pointing their finger at me.

"You're the Wind Demon!" The Zora exclaimed.

"Is this going to happen to me all the time from now on?" I grumbled to myself.

I stood up and asked, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to just let me go would you?"

"Never! Our race serves the royal family, I would never let a criminal get away!" was my answer.

I sighed and walked towards the fish person, activating my defence in case my opponent tried something. It was lucky that I did, as a pair of fins slammed into the wind surrounding me before rotating through the air like a pair of boomerangs and returning to the Zora.

"Damn defensive magic!" he hissed at me angrily.

I rushed forward, trying to get close and incapacitate him quickly. He skipped sideways, gracefully avoiding my clumsy charge and kicked out at me. The foot was deflected and I jumped towards the Zora while he was off balance.

My barrier pushed against him and knocked him to the ground. I disabled my protection as I leapt upon him and pushed my palm against his chest.

I then screamed in agony as my nerves shuddered and felt like they were set ablaze. The Zora grinned triumphantly as he electrocuted me through my hand. I collapsed on top of him, writhing and squirming, eyes wide and throat swiftly going hoarse.

The pain suddenly stopped its crescendo and my eyes closed to half-lids. He pushed me off him and I rolled onto the ground. My muscles spasmed sporadically and I could barely move. He stood up and reached down, slinging me over his shoulder.

"How?" I mumbled.

The Zora laughed. "You mean the electricity? Only Zora that can do magic can do it, although it works better underwater as we can release it around us and into the water itself. On land we can only channel a current through the top layer of our body."

I grunted, trying to regain control of my rebellious muscles while listening.

"But it still works pretty effectively when anything is touching us as it gives them quite the shock," he continued.

My arm twitched and my teeth ground together. My whole body tensed and shook as I urged my limbs to respond.

"Regardless, at least capturing you will give me enough money to live an easy life for awhile."

Slowly I began to wrest back control of myself. I sluggishly pushed my palms against his back.

"Hmm...?" he said. "What are you doing back there? Do you need me to zap you again?"

I pushed wind through both my palms and discharged them into his shoulder blades. The Zora cried out in pain and dropped me. He rubbed his back with one hand.

I staggered to my feet and glared definitely at him, legs trembling with exertion.

"Okay, so you can do some fancy things from your palms..." the Zora said. "I'll just have to make sure you're not awake enough to do anything then."

He approached warily, hand outstretched to touch me. Sweat dripped from my brow as I struggled to even stand. I gathered as much wind as I could and released it violently. The Zora didn't have time to react as he was swept off his feet and thrown through the air.

He was implanted into a mountain wall close by, before being dragged out and collapsing to the floor.

I replicated him as I fell onto the ground myself and closed my eyes in relief.


	8. The Zora King

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**Okay… So I was originally going to do a super, massively long chapter that was at least 4000 words to make up for me taking so long. (4000 words being long for me and about double my usual chapter length) But after reaching 2500 words I decided that I had a good place to leave it and that I could just continue on to what I have planned in the next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: Don't own it! If you don't know this by now then you've been ignoring my disclaimer on every single one of my chapters…

Chapter 8: The Zora King

A steady drum beat gave rhythm to the darkness of the world. Patches of warm white light filtered through the black of my vision. I winced as the instrument kept going, regardless of my wish for it to stop. I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, aching limbs weighing me down like glorified slabs of meat attached to my body. I realised that the percussion I had heard wasn't a drum at all, but simply my head as it throbbed at its own desire.

My mouth felt dry and my lips cracked apart as I moaned and glanced around, not knowing for how long I'd laid there for, but the sun was definitely lower in the sky than it was before. The Zora remained where he was, sunken slightly into the mud. I staggered to my feet, pins and needles poking furiously throughout my limbs.

I made my way over to the motionless fish-man and stared down at him. He seemed to still be breathing, which I was relieved to notice. I don't know how I would've felt if I'd accidently killed someone, even if that someone was from another race entirely and had been attacking me.

I hobbled towards the lake, my limbs regaining some strength as I moved them, and noticed a bottle on the ground along the way, which I picked up and examined.

_This has the letter in it. I must've dropped it when that battle started…_

Well it was a relief that I had spotted it. It would've been quite bad if I had gone to King Zora with tales of his daughter being trapped somewhere without any proof to back it up. That probably would go about as well as me just telling him that I kidnapped her and forgot where I left her.

I packed it away inside my backpack and shuffled the rest of the way to the lake. Invisible wind silently materialised around me, forming a sphere of protection as I jumped into the water.

Cocooned inside my air pocket, I trudged along the bottom of the lake, entering the underwater passageway that would take me back to Zora's Domain. I entered the left tunnel and was swept up it by the powerful water currents.

_Wait… How does this even work? The wind stops the water from coming into contact with me so how am I being pulled by the current?_

It didn't make much sense to me. The wind deflects anything that comes into contact with it. The only reason the wind moves is because I move. So why am I forced to move by a water current that isn't actually touching me?

_Maybe the wind can't deflect everything completely and enough force would still hit me through it as I'm connected to the barrier… I wish I'd been given an instruction manual with my powers. It would make things so much easier sometimes…_

I exited the underwater corridor into Zora's Domain and walked over to where the ground curved upwards and allowed me to get out of the water. I wasn't stopped by any Zoras, which was quite lucky, as I had no desire to get into more fights.

_Although that one Zora over there definitely just saw me… And then quickly looked away and started swimming in the opposite direction. _

Hmm… I guess not all of them are fighters. Either that or they don't believe in attacking thirteen year olds.

I followed the rising path as I walked towards where the king should be. Hopefully I could get him to move out of the way so I could get to the Great Fairy. If he got his people to attack me things could get problematic…

"Halt!" a voice commanded. I blinked and noticed that I had arrived at a giant flight of stairs. Standing in front of these was a pair of Zora.

"The king will see no visitors," one of them stated, clearly dismissing me.

I sighed internally. This wasn't going as well as I hoped it would and they hadn't even called me a criminal or tried to attack me.

"I have news of his missing daughter" I said.

They both turned and looked at me, studying me intently. Then their eyes both widened as they seemed to realise who I was and crouched down in preparation for if I suddenly attacked.

"Criminal scum! What have you done with the young Princess Ruto!" One of them growled out.

"I didn't do anything!" I exclaimed. I hated it when people blamed me for things I didn't do. Because I never did it in the first place people usually never bother listening to me when I refute their claims, unless I had some kind of indisputable proof.

"So why is it you have information about her if you didn't kidnap her?" the other one asked, studying me with squinted eyes.

"I found a bottle with a letter written by her," I replied, trying to keep my face impassive as not to provoke a negative reaction.

The two guards glanced at each other quickly before returning their gazes on me.

"I think she's lying," one of them glared at me.

"I think she may be telling the truth," the other one stated, gazing at me intently.

"Well regardless of whether you think I'm lying or being truthful, it seems like a good reason for me to see the king now, right?" I stated dryly. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes as they both grimaced.

"Well… His majesty would probably want to see her…" one of them trailed off.

"We won't let you see the king unless you're our captive though," the other added.

I groaned and rolled my head, cracking my neck and sighing before agreeing to their terms. Hopefully this won't end with me dying or being imprisoned. I already had the joy of being the King of Hyrule's esteemed guest in his dungeon of 'fun'; I had no desire to further my travels and experience to being the prisoner of a race of fish people.

_Saying that, now that I have unlocked some of my powers I could probably escape from any normal prisons… Oh. But these are fish people; I doubt there is any sense of normal at the moment… _

They both grabbed one of my shoulders and forced me forward, half pushing me up the stairs as my small body struggled to keep up with the speed they were walking.

The stairs eventually ended, opening out into a chamber in which the King of Zora's sat, one of his spindly hands idly playing his moustache. I wasn't sure what made up the moustache though, whether it was hair, or something else. It looked kind of like fins or something similar just sticking out of his face.

He stopped as he noticed my entourage coming from the stairs. "I told you that I was to receive no visitors!" He bellowed angrily, spittle flying violently from his mouth. "Is it too much to ask that I wallow in depression from my daughter's disappearance?"

_He didn't look too depressed when we came in though… In fact, if anything I would say that he seems angrier that we disturbed him from playing with his facial ha-… Thing… _

"Apologies, my liege," the Zora on my right spoke, bowing and forcing me down onto my knees at the same time.

"Very well, why is it you have brought this young child before me?" The king asked after grumbling under his breath.

"Sir, this criminal says she has information about your daughter."

The king glanced down at me and almost recoiled.

"You brought the Wind Demon before me?" he exclaimed.

"Wind Sage, not – Ow!" I cried out, suddenly having my face implanted into the ground by a furious fish-man.

"How dare you speak in such a way before the king!" a voice screamed into my ear.

_Seriously, what is it with not being able to speak to kings? How am I supposed to have a conversation with me being interrupted myself? _

The force on the back of my head lessened and I raised my head, already wearied by how this was going. The face of the king, frozen in image, made me feel some dread towards the future though. In fact, it seemed like he wasn't moving at all.

_Oh great, wouldn't it suck if I got blamed for killing a king just by being in the same room as him…_

Luckily he seemed to snap out of it, before the Zora guards started pointing fingers or fins or whatever they would point when accusing me of something.

"Guards… Show me the back of her hands…" The king mumbled, eyes locking onto mine.

_Well… Crap… _

Both my hands were raised up, clearly showing the king the back of both. I readied myself in case I needed to call upon my powers. All it would take is the first sign of him wanting to kill me or keep me as a captive...

"By the great goddesses..." He whispered. He seemed to sit up a little straighter. "I didn't think it would be true..."

I felt like asking questions because he wasn't currently making much sense to me, but after the last time I spoke I decided to stay quiet for now.

"Release her and let her stand," the king commanded.

I was grateful to hear this; my knees were starting to ache from being pressed into the floor. As the guards let go of me I stood, moving my legs a little to get the blood flowing again.

"How did you get branded a criminal?"

"Once the King of Hyrule found out who I was he decided to keep me as his prisoner." I said, deciding to keep to the truth, but vary it slightly to sound better in my favour. "I escaped and he branded me a criminal, to try to regain control over me."

"Very well, I will let my people know that you are to be given free passage and not to be attacked."

"But my king!" exclaimed the guards.

The king looked at them, as if realising that they were still there. I felt exhilarated at the turn of events. Never could I have imagined that something like this would happen.

"Guards, leave us!" The king bellowed. "Spread the word that this child is to be given the same courtesy as any royal member of the Zora!"

The guards looked like they wanted to refute that command, or at the very least question it. I suppose if I was in their position I would probably be wondering if my king had gone mad or had been put under a spell by the criminal mage. As it was, I was just glad to be out of dangerous territory and could finally relax a little.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I'm a little surprised at your willingness to aid me..." I said after the guards had left.

"Nonsense! You are the Wind Sage! Chosen by the goddesses themselves to save the world from the cataclysm!" He explained joyfully. "The Zora nation will stand ready to aid you in your quest for as long as you require!"

I blinked.

_Cataclysm? Quest? What?_

I wanted to ask about this as I was really confused. At the same time I didn't want to make it seem like I had no idea what he was talking about, in case he suddenly retracted his previous statement.

"The cataclysm... Do you know what it will actually be?" I asked carefully. I was guessing it was Ganondorf taking over the world, but surely it would be Link who would stop him, not me?

"You don't know?" The king looked surprised. "I assumed the goddesses would have told you all about it and how to stop it."

"Ah, they didn't tell me anything about it." I sheepishly admitted. "They just picked me and didn't explain much to me. Can you tell me what it is going to be?"

"I don't know." The king shrugged. "All I know is what has been passed down from one king to the next."

"What do you mean?"

"There was once a great Zora seer. She foretold of the cataclysm that would destroy Hyrule and the people in it. It is said that a warrior chosen by the goddesses, wielding wind magic and having a balance of power, wisdom and courage will arrive in the last dispensation of time before this event and could prevent it from happening. The arrival of this "Wind Sage", as the seer called the warrior, would bring great bloodshed and sorrow, but they will be the only one with a chance to prevent the cataclysm from ever occurring. This is the story that has been passed down in secret between the Kings of the Zora."

I stood still, taking the time to absorb this new information that had left me internally reeling.

_Damn the goddesses. They told me I was coming here to aid Link in his quest, why would they lie about what they really wanted me to do? Bah, I'll never understand their way of thinking. Stupid, stinking deities..._

"I hope I can live up to your expectations," I told the Zora king.

"Yes, I hope so as well. But you are the only one who has a chance of doing this, so I have no choice but to rely upon you and help you in whatever way I can."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"Now then, what actually brings you here?" The king asked.

"Two reasons. First I need access to the area behind you so that I can visit the Great Fairy fountain that is hidden back there. The second is to tell you that your daughter is inside your guardian deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu."

"What!" The king exclaimed. "Lord Jabu-Jabu would never…!"

"Actually…" I interrupted. "I have a letter written from her saying that she is."

"Ah…" He sighed. "Let me see it, I beg you."

I pulled the letter out of the bottle and handed it over, putting the bottle back into my backpack as I watched the King's eyes dart backwards and forwards as he read the paper.

"_Help me. I'm waiting for you inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly._" The King read aloud. "Well it's signed by her… Very well, I'll grant you passage to where our guardian deity resides if you promise to save her."

"I have a friend who is collecting the Spiritual Stones to stop Ganondorf; I'm sure he'll save your daughter." I told him.

"I will only let you pass if you agree to save my daughter."

"But my friend…" I tried.

"I have no idea how long your friend will take to arrive, or if he will even be capable of saving her," the king stated. "If you save her then I'm sure you can persuade her to give you her stone, and then you can just pass it on to your friend."

_Oh great… Just what I need… _

I supressed the urge to sigh. I really didn't want to have to navigate the insides of a giant fish, fight electrically charged monsters, and try to save a bratty princess just so I could get her 'engagement ring'.

"Fine…" I reluctantly agreed. It would be pretty bad of me to not save her if her dad is letting me past so I can get what I want…

_Curse my morals! This would be so much easier if I just lied and left after visiting the fairy… _

This was going to be a long day…


	9. Killing Time

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**Okay then, this wasn't originally what I had planned as my new chapter. But still, what's done is done. So enjoy.**

**Also, I've changed the title of this story by taking out the "Redone". And I'm changing my old story to "First Draft". Simply because I see this as its own story now. **

Disclaimer: If you accuse me of owning Zelda then I'll accuse you of being an idiot.

Chapter 9: Killing Time

I was bored.

No, I mean like seriously bored.

I had already caught a fish from the lower part of Zora Domain. Actually I couldn't catch any fish on my own-they're too ridiculously fast-so I ended up asking different Zora if they could help. Most of whom that I approached swam or ran away as fast as they could, which is actually pretty fast if you've ever tried to catch a Zora... Thankfully, I found one who was willing to help and, he caught me a fish in my bottle.

At least none of them had tried to attack me. I still seemed to encourage fear and tension, but at least I could actually move among people without provoking too much of a negative response.

And now here I was, back in the king's chamber.

Waiting.

Tapping my foot against the damp, stone floor.

Pacing.

Doing anything at all.

I felt like gnawing off my own arm in the hopes that it would help me stay more mentally sane than the level I feared I would be at by the end of this.

It had already been a couple of hours, which had been an eternity of torture.

The Zora King was still trying to shuffle himself out of the way so I could get past him. Every time he shifted he would let out a weird 'oink' sound that was now no longer just grating away at my ear drums but seemed to be intent on sawing through them and destroying my brain cells.

I swear I could feel my IQ dropping with every second. If I still have an IQ above my age by the time he's finished moving I would consider it lucky.

I had offered to help push him, which he declined. A pity, as I'm sure a strong blast of wind from my palms would have moved him faster. It may have also slammed him into a wall and risked killing him, but who cares about minor details like that?

"I… Need… To take… A break…" the Zora king wheezed.

My eye twitched violently as my hands clenched and my fingernails stabbed into my flesh. The pain and warm blood dripping down my skin helped me to remain calm enough that I didn't try to kill him.

The king had definitely moved. Unfortunately though, the gap was so ridiculously small that even as a child I would never fit through it.

"I don't suppose you could just bend over and let me jump over your head could you?" I asked desperately, clinging to the small hope that the option provided.

"Sorry…" The king replied to my plea. "I doubt I would be able to get back up after I fall from the bending over part."

I sighed as hope and sanity drained faster than most Zora would swim to get away from me. And I had thought it was ridiculously long waiting for him to move when playing the game…

_Damn you reality!_

"Alright, I'm going to go kill some time," I told him, strolling off down the side passage and feeling desperate to do something that would distract me for a while. Anything at all would be nice.

A short moment of walking later and the tunnel opened up, revealing a waterfall. A Zora stood there, looking out over the central area of the Domain. He turned to look at me when I stepped next to him.

"Lady Wind Sage," the Zora murmured, sweeping into a bow.

I blinked, then again. I checked behind me to make sure I was the only other person around.

"Uh… What's with the bowing?" I asked.

"His majesty said you were to be treated like royalty."

Ah. That would be why.

"You don't have to bow as it's a bit awkward; I'm not used to such things…" I trailed off.

"Nonsense, to not bow would be disrespectful." he shrugged, "I'm sure you'll get used to it soon enough."

_Great, first I'm a wanted criminal and now I'm like royalty by some of the Zora. Will I ever be treated normally, by anyone ever again? _

"Want to play a game, Lady Wind Sage?"

_Also being called Lady is really weird… _

"I let royal members play a game for free every day, and there are prizes as well." the Zora continued.

"Sure, I'm happy to play," I replied. I had time that needed to be killed, and diving off of waterfalls and collecting rupees sounded like fun, in a crazy kind of way.

"I'm sure you'll love this game," the Zora said.

I nodded and then shrieked as he spun around and grabbed me by the throat, lifting me off of the floor and pinning me to the wall. I gurgled and clawed desperately at the webbed fingers that were choking me.

"Although I don't think you'll be getting any prizes from this game. Or at least, none that you would want!" the Zora laughed.

The next second I blasted him into the wall across from me with a quick burst of wind, not having time or the concentration to create a more powerful attack. I crumpled to the floor, sucking in sweet oxygen and blinking rapidly to try and dispel the black edges to my vision.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, struggling to stand up and relying on the wall to keep my balance. It galled me that I hadn't seen detected any ill intentions coming from him.

_That Zora is a good actor; he gave nothing away as he prepared to attack me._

"Why do you think, _Lady Wind Sage_?" He spat my title sarcastically as he pulled himself out of his small indentation into the wall. "Why would the king ever give such prestige to a criminal? We all know that you are capable of magic, so it is obvious that you used your magic to overcome his mind and take control of him!"

I blinked.

_I was hoping they wouldn't think that… Urgh… Great… _

"And if I kill you and restore his mind then he will reward me greatly for saving him!" The Zora screamed out and suddenly charged at me, reaching out to grapple me again.

I sidestepped out of the way and attacked desperately with a palm, which he deflected by grabbing my wrist, stopping me from hitting him with the wind I was building up. Then he kicked out and sent me flying out over the waterfall.

I hung in the air for a moment before I fell into the cavern below. Water sprayed out violently as I crashed into the ground below. Water filled up around the barrier I'd constructed mid-flight.

I looked up and watched as the Zora dived off the top of the waterfall and disappeared amongst the many surrounding Zora.

_Dammit, they all look the same. I hope no one else joins in; I don't want to get attacked from all directions…_

A glow that I spotted from my peripheral vision made me spin around, to see the Zora smash into my barrier at high speed, electricity sparking around him. The wind spinning around me, invisible and silent, deflected him around me even as I was pushed backwards.

_Damn that's powerful! Well he can't do any damage at least. But I'll run out of energy before long and I won't be able to attack him like this either. I need to get to higher ground._

I propelled myself out of the water at a slight angle, flying up to the paths above and bouncing off a wall as I did, and laid there for a moment before rolling to my feet and looking around for my opponent.

I spotted him as he dashed up the pathway towards me and dropped back to the floor as a pair of boomerang fins curved through the air where my head was an instant before.

Standing up again, I stood ready for my opponent's next move. He caught his fins and they reattached to his arms. Glaring at me, he stalked forward in a cautious manner. I smirked.

Good, he was learning to be wary of me. By the end of this fight I will set an example for anyone else who wants to attack me and make him fear me.

"Stop!" A voice cried out.

I didn't turn away from my would-be killer, but kept my eyes focused firmly on him and kept my body tense and ready to react.

I would not be caught off guard again. If I was going to be killed then it wouldn't be from being backstabbed.

_I can't give anyone even a slither of trust it seems…_

His eyes looked past me and he grimaced. A Zora wearing a funny looking helmet that looked like it was made out of fish bones, and wielding a spear, stepped forward between us. I'm guessing he was a guard of some kind.

"Why are you fighting?" he questioned.

"She has used magic and is controlling our king!" my attacker exclaimed, obviously trying to get the newcomer on his side, "How else would she so suddenly be crowned as royalty? I am trying to save our king by killing her!"

"Ah yes, our new criminal royal member," the guard stated, turning to study me.

I didn't look at him, still ready for a fight that I felt wasn't over.

"It is not my place to question our king, Lophire." the guard said turning back, "And I'm afraid that I have no choice but to arrest you for trying to kill a member of our royal family."

Lophire snarled and rushed towards me. I raised my defensive wind to block him. It proved unnecessary as the other Zora moved almost quicker than I could watch, dropping his spear and ensnaring my aggressor, as he tried to fly past, in a complicated grapple that left him pinned to the floor.

"Mikau! Release me!" Lophire screamed out.

"You will be tried before our king and your punishment will most likely be execution," Mikau carried on.

"Mikau!"

"I'm sorry my friend…"

Sparks were being emitted from where they were touching each other. As I had first-hand experience on what happens when you touch a Zora that can use magic, I was surprised that the guard didn't collapse in a heap of uncontrollable, twitching muscles.

Then again, it wasn't that surprising. Mikau could probably use magic as well, and if the two were both channelling electricity it would explain the sparks I could see.

Well, the sparks I could see but suddenly stopped being emitted when Mikau punched Laphire in the back of the head multiple times.

He then slung the unconscious Zora over his shoulder and picked up his spear.

"Good day," he nodded to me, before walking away, whistling.

I blinked.

_Huh…_

Well I had wanted to kill some time, but I didn't expect to almost get killed at the same time. Looks like I can't relax no matter where I am.

I winced and rubbed my sore throat gently as I made my way back towards the king's chamber. That fight had not gone as well as I had hoped. Sure I had ways of taking down enemies, but I didn't have enough variety and I could only use my powers for a short while before feeling the effects. After that, I'm just a tired little girl.

I reached the king without having to fend off any more unwanted fans, as I was now calling my potential assassins. The king had started trying to shift his body weight to the side once more.

He saw me as I came and grinned.

"Don't worry!" he called, "Only a couple more hours I think!"

I groaned aloud. I should just find a corner to sit and cry in.

I had nothing better to do than have people try to kill me after all.


	10. The Zora Deity Dungeon

Ocarina and Wind Sage of Time

**So I realised that the very first power unlock that Sophie got actually gave her two different abilities. The reason that the barrier ability and the "outward blast" ability are different is because the barrier forms at a set distance away and around Sophie. On the other hand, the latter ability builds up from the skin and projects outwards. This is important because if they were the same then every time she tried to blast someone away it wouldn't have worked if they were standing right next to her. As it is, to avoid plot holes in the story I'm deeming them as two separate abilities and that it was because she already had the "Wind Blast" (as I'll probably call it) unlocked naturally, but had no idea how to use it until the first Great Fairy she visited. Hopefully in this attempt of clearing up future plot holes I haven't just given myself loads more…**

**Anyway, welcome to the new chapter and I hope that you enjoy. Sorry it's taken me so long; I really don't want to have to write about any of the dungeons for some reason… Not to mention it would take me like 10 minutes to do this dungeon on the game, but writing it takes forever and a day... And yes, I did copy a lot of Ruto's canon text from the game. **

Disclaimer: This doesn't belong to me. Read the other disclaimers and see I've never said it has.

Chapter 10: The Zora Deity Dungeon

My boots splashed through a layer of water as I walked out into Zora's Fountain, ripples forming and spreading across the clear surface. Those ripples were halted however, as I kept walking and new ripples formed and moved back to halt and blockade the first. A refreshing, cool breeze lazed about, not really doing anything to stand out but still there, bringing with it the strong smell of fish. The sun was nowhere to be seen and curtains of darkness hung across the world, only being broken by the illuminating silver moonlight that pierced through.

Jabu-Jabu lay motionless on the surface of the water, his head over the platform that was close to where I entered the area. I ignored the fish in favour of going for a night swim across to where a boulder lay innocently next to the rock wall that surrounded this fountain of water.

_Thank goodness for omniscience knowledge…_

I pulled a bomb from my mysteriously dry bag - most likely the magic in the bag kept it protected from elements - and threw it against the boulder. After the explosion the boulder remained perfectly intact, unlike the wall it had been sitting next to; the wall now revealed a passageway that had been blown open.

I strolled down the passageway and into the Great Fairy Fountain, stopping on the Triforce symbol in front of the fountain itself.

"Ding dong!" I called, imitating a door bell. "The Wind Sage is here to pick up her new power!"

A flash of light later and laughter answered my call as the Great Fairy spun out of the water and twisted around to hover above me.

"Welcome Wind Sage! I am the Great Fairy of Magic!"

"Yay" I said impassively.

She glared at me, seemingly upset that I wasn't as excited to see her as she was to see me. I mentally shrugged; it's not as if I would be seeing her ever again after this.

"Yes well, I suppose you want me to unlock some more of your power right?" the Great Fairy asked, trying to make conversation.

_Maybe she's lonely from being alone for so long?_

It didn't matter. I was still in a bad mood from agreeing to rescue Princess "Bratty" Ruto of all people, having to wait several hours for the King to move out of my way and surviving attempted murder. I think I have the right to be a little crabby.

I merely nodded in answer to the Fairy's question.

"Very well," the Great Fairy sighed. A second later and I was reliving my most least favourite thing in the world, although I was lucky in that this time there wasn't any pain. I collapsed and experienced the bone trembling, muscle aching experience of having my body unlock itself to be able to wield more power.

A burst of wind signalled the end and a warm glow of light from the Great Fairy wiped away my sudden exhaustion.

"Thank you," I muttered.

"You're welcome."

"So what was it that was unlocked?" I asked.

"You mean you don't know?" The Great Fairy looked surprised.

"Obviously not as you haven't told me yet."

"Well it is your power; you should instinctively know what it is and how to use it," the Great Fairy answered. "How else would you know how to use your powers?"

"Well the other Fairy's just told me what it was that I could now do," I said.

"Foolish sisters…" the Great Fairy murmured.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They were supposed to let you master your powers on your own. After all, they often have many different uses and you need to experiment and figure out the best way to wield your powers for yourself."

"I still don't get it," I said confused. "I'm sure that the powers could be used in different situations, but you make it sound like each power can be used in multiple, completely different ways."

"Yes that is basically what I'm saying," the Great Fairy nodded, her long hair whipping through the air. "Since you still seem to be confused, let me give you an example. What was the last power you unlocked?"

"Uh, I can push wind through my palms and feet," I replied.

"Okay then, let's focus on the feet. What can you do with that?"

"Well I can jump really high…" I shrugged.

The Great Fairy stared at me blankly for a moment before sighing.

"You need to experiment more with your powers," she told me bluntly.

"Oh really, then why don't you tell me just how else I could use such a power?"

"Very well, I will help give you some ideas this one time, but I expect you to make a better effort in the future!" she looked at me expectantly.

"Okay, I'll do better in the future at learning my abilities." I promised her, rolling my eyes but interested in seeing what she thought.

"Good. Alright then, so you already know you can jump really high. At least you know one way you could use it, it'd be embarrassing if you couldn't use your abilities even in one way after gaining them…" she trailed off.

I coughed to prompt her on.

"Anyway, have you ever tried to use it jump multiple times, using the wind to push you up like you would use muscles to push off the ground? Have you tried kicking anything while using it to make your foot move at a far faster speed and force? Have you tried pushing it out of only certain parts of your foot? Have you tried using it while in water to swim faster? Does the wind only come out of the bottom of your feet or can you make it come out of the top and use it to counteract gravity and stick to surfaces by sheer force? What about releasing it in a steady stream to hover? What about…? Ah, never mind, I'm out of ideas."

I think my mouth was hanging open. Thinking through, they all seemed like viable ways of using my ability, and yet I had been content to just have a single use for it.

_Wow she's actually right. I do need to experiment more with my powers…_

The Great Fairy hovered silently, waiting.

"Thank you." I simply said.

A smile and laughter was my reply as the Great Fairy dove back into her home beneath the fountain of water. I left determined to make the most out of what I had been given, knowing that I would have to sit down at some point and actually think about possible ideas of what I could actually do.

First though, I was curious about what I had unlocked. The Great Fairy said I would instinctively know what it is and how to use it. I took a deep breath and concentrated, opening myself to my magic but not actually using it in any way. Instead I focused on trying to feel a new way to shape it, to use it differently to how I have already been using it.

I found something. I grasped hold of it and gently tugged outwards, bringing it into reality. An arrow of green blurring wind appeared, my mind connected to it as it shot forward and bounced off the wall. More appeared and flew; I realised I could create them anywhere I could see, although I couldn't create them out of sight like from behind myself shooting forward.

Well at least I now have a ranged offensive power.

But, duty calls. As much as I would rather keep practising and maybe start the experimenting now, I have a fish that needs saving. Oh yeah, and I should probably save Ruto as her dad asked me to...

I sighed and trudged back outside, swimming the short distance back to the platform and making my way in front of Jabu-Jabu. I stood resigned to my fate as I pulled open the cork in my bottle and dumped the fish inside onto the ground. It flapped and bounced as I put my bottle away, waiting for the inevitable.

I didn't have to wait long.

Jabu-Jabu's eyes widened as he noticed the fish in front of him and his mouth opened, a gaping black hole lined with razor white teeth. I suction of air pulled the fish off the ground and towards his mouth instantly. I was lifted off the ground a moment later and flew screaming after it.

I clenched shut my eyes and landed on something squishy.

_Oh by the goddesses, that smells!_

I wrenched my eyes open and took in my surroundings, trying hard not to heave from what I was breathing in. I was in the belly of the beast… Actually, I was inside the mouth of the beast to be exact, but there we go.

The mouth had closed behind me, trapping me inside. The walls, floor and ceiling were all fleshy, slimy and fluorescent, allowing me to see the depths of horror that I was going to be enjoying for a while.

Two Octoroks popped out of the green water in front of me, spitting rocks one after the other towards me. I gave a girly shriek from where I lay, even as they were deflected around me. A thought later and two green arrows whistled forth, embedding into the monsters. They flew through the air, landing back into the water on their backs as they disintegrated.

The only thing left in the room apart from me were two big floating bubbles, that were bouncing off every surface they floated into. I ignored them, making my way across the shallow water.

The room came together, becoming a small corridor with a door at the end, locked together by organic tissue. I looked up towards the switch in the ceiling, it looked a lot like a white Uvula, and an arrow slammed into it, pushing it inwards making the pink, fleshy door unprotected.

As I stepped towards it the door split into many parts and retracted, unblocking my way and I stepped through. A lone floating jellyfish awaited me. I stepped quickly past it before it could touch me and walked quickly across the floor as it curved to follow the wall. This room was a vertical shaft, going both up and down with the floor I was on being the only nearby surface to stand on.

I stepped past two crates and went through another door, this time coming out into a smaller room, three floating jellyfish occupying the air and many fleshing holes littered the floor. A pulsing tentacle that looked electrified was through one of these holes, attached to the ceiling. That tentacle needed to be destroyed before I could get to the Zora's Sapphire.

Also a young Zora stood to the side of the room, her eyes widening as she saw me coming.

"You! Who are you?!" she demanded. I resisted the urge to sigh. I already couldn't wait to be out of her presence.

"I'm Sophie," I answered shortly.

"I am Ruto, Princess of the Zoras."

"Yeah I kind of guessed, your father asked me to find you as a favour I owed him..." I muttered.

"What?! Are you saying my father asked you to come here to save me?" she shrieked.

"Yeah, your letter in a bottle made him ask me." I told her.

"Letter in a bottle? I have no idea what you're talking about!" she claimed. I shrugged.

"Well you have been gone for however long, you're father was worried." I didn't actually know how worried he was, he didn't seem to worried to me...

"My father is worried about me?" she looked shocked before she glared at me defiantly. "I don't care! Anyway, I can't go home right now. And you... Get out of here! Understand?!"

I didn't give her a response. She sniffed and spun around, ready to storm off in the opposite direction and away from me. As soon as she turned I darted forward, my arms wrapping around her as I dragged her away from the hole in front of her.

"You have no right!" she cursed, kicking out and struggling to loose herself from my grip.

"Actually, since I'm here on your father's orders I think I do in order to save you." I told her, feeling a little smug.

"Look, I'm okay." Ruto stopped struggling. "I've been going inside Lord Jabu-Jabu since I was little, but... Lord Jabu-Jabu is very strange today... There are electrified jellyfish and strange holes around..."

"Yeah there's probably some monster inhabiting your deity." I told her. She wasn't paying any attention of course. Annoying princess...

"On top of that, my precious stone was..."

I interrupted her. "Look, I really don't care. If I find your stone will you come back to your father with me?"

"You're that worried about me?" she asked.

I finally let go off her, albeit ready to grab her again if she tried to run.

"I need to get you back to your dad; if getting your stone back will make you come back then I'll find it."

She turned towards me, studying me as if looking for a sign of my worthiness.

"Then I will give you the honour of carrying me!" Ruto declared. "However, I won't leave without my stone. You'd better believe me!"

I stared at her blankly as she sat down. A laugh erupted from me suddenly.

"Ah, you'll give me the honour huh?" I chuckled. It was time to make my point. "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

She was glaring at me for the laughter, but she did look curious. She silently waited for me to continue.

_Oh blessed silence, why don't you come more often?_

"You really don't think you're father would have sent just anyone to come find you, do you? I am someone that the King has order to be given the same courtesy as any royal member of the Zora race."

She blanched.

_Yep, no way I'm going to be carrying you around..._

"I can see you realise that by the very right of you asking me to carry you I would have to expect the same thing from you and expect you to carry me as well." I continued.

She nodded in understanding and stood up.

_She isn't even going to ask for proof or anything? Well I suppose she can just ask her dad later and if I was lying she would probably try to execute me or something petty..._

I just realised and was quite surprised that my conversation with Ruto hadn't actually been interrupted by the three jellyfish. They all seemed to be floating by the door on the far side of the room.

"Follow me," I said to my temporary companion. I guided her around the holes and towards the door. Ruto gasped as the jellyfish died from arrows impaling them all. I ignored her and stepped forward carefully, waiting as a bigger jellyfish dropped down from the ceiling. It unfolded two ethereal looking fins that spun around it as it moved towards me. Another two arrows formed and flew and it split into three more jellyfish. Another three carefully aimed arrows later and I breathed out as they all died, my throat feeling a little dry.

I stepped forward towards the door, looking back to make sure Ruto was following. She was and we stepped through the door. Three corridors branched off from here, the middle one blocked by another electrified tentacle, and three Tailpasaran's were coming out of the floor.

I grabbed Ruto's hand and pulled her past them, down the right hand path and past another one that sat in the middle of the floor. The corridor split into two, with the left hand path being blocked by yet another tentacle. The right had a pressure switch on the floor in front of a blocked door.

I pulled Ruto onto the switch with me. Nothing happened.

_Oh great._

"We aren't heavy enough..." I muttered to myself.

"So? Let's just go a different way," Ruto said.

I glanced at her. "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute." I told her, ignoring her protests.

I rushed back down the corridor, getting past the monsters easily and across the empty room filled with holes. I grabbed one of the two crates that were in the room after and made my way back to Ruto. She stood stiffly, tapping her foot against the floor impatiently and gave me a glare when I returned.

"Trust me; we want to go into this room." I told her before she could comment.

"And how do you know we want to go into this room when you've never been here before?" she questioned.

"...Instinct." I finally answered. She didn't look too impressed, but then again I wasn't too concerned with her feelings or opinion at the moment.

_I just want to be out of this fish already!_

The combined weight of the crate, Ruto and I pushed the switch down and the organic stuff blocking the door removed itself. We walked through, coming into a plain room. Three Stingers were here, all that could be seen of them were their sharp curved fins as they surfed through the floor like a fish in the sea.

"Stay by the door," I told my companion. She didn't complain. She didn't say anything for that matter, which was fine by me.

I stepped further into the room, stalking towards my first target. It leaped out of the fleshy floor as I approached, hanging in the air above me for a moment before it died as a green blurring arrow struck it.

As it slowly fell to the ground, shrieking and dissolving, the other two converged on me. They both leaped out of the ground, gliding along. A pair of arrows materialised and flew towards them. One Stinger was ripped out of the air and died; the other lived as the blurring missile flew past its intended target, instead hitting the wall and causing the whole room to tremble.

The lone survivor dive bombed towards me, sharp fins ready to eviscerate me. I panicked, falling backwards to the ground and it flew over me and back into the floor.

"Sophie, are you okay?!" Ruto exclaimed, rushing towards me.

"Get back you fool!" I shouted at her while climbing to my feet.

She skidded to a halt halfway towards me. The Stinger rose up above her.

"Get out of the way!" I gestured while firing a couple of arrows at it as I ran towards Ruto, but unfortunately I missed. She screamed and dropped to the floor. Sweat dripped down my brow as I reached her and raised a barrier around us just as the monster flew into it and past us.

I took quick deep breaths as my eyes scanned the floor. This time I wouldn't miss. It leaped out of the floor and an arrow slammed it straight back down before it could get higher than me.

"Sophie, you're looking a little pale..." the Zora princess told me.

I gave her a look of annoyance, ignoring the chest that had just appeared in a glow of light particles.

"What part of wait by the door didn't you understand?" I asked her calmly.

"What?!" she exclaimed. "I thought you were hurt and tried to help!"

"And what did you think you think would happen? Oh I know you thought you could defeat the monster just because you really wanted to!" I sarcastically ripped into her.

"But... I thought..." she stammered.

"Really? It didn't seem like it to me." I brutally cut her off. "Look, I need to get you out of here alive, not cut to ribbons by flying fish. What am I supposed to tell your dad when I bring back your corpse? Sorry, she died trying to protect me; at least your daughter had spirit!"

She didn't say anything but sniffled and turned away from me. I sighed and walked over to the newly appeared chest, opening it up and removing the boomerang from inside. I flexed my arm back and threw it. It spun through the air, curving around and coming back towards me. I reached out and watched as it spun past my outstretched hand.

A giggle from the background dispelled the silence.

"What?" I asked. "If you think you can do better then be my guest."

"Ha, anyone could do better than that!" she declared, going over to the fallen boomerang. I didn't say anything as she threw it and easily caught it as it came back around.

"That's great." I told her. "Now I'm going to need that back."

"And do what? Drop it after every time you use it?" Ruto shot back.

"Look I'll probably get better with it as I use it," I said.

"But if I use it I can actually help you and not get in the way!" she smiled.

I stared at her, surprising myself as I started to consider what she said and not deny her outright.

_She is right though. I suck at using the boomerang. And it may be nice to get Ruto to actually do something and stop being a complete damsel in distress..._

I sighed. Hopefully I don't end up regretting this...

"Fine, you can use the boomerang until we get outside Jabu-Jabu," I finally agreed.

She let out a cheer. I had to stop myself from staring at her in surprise.

_Why does she even want to be useful? She wanted me to carry her around this place just awhile ago! Maybe the moments of danger are actually hitting her harder than I thought?_

We rushed back to the intersection of the three corridors - only pausing as I grabbed the crate - and we passed every Tailpasaran on the way easily, and went down the corridor on the left this time. Just like the path on the right, this one split into two. I had no interested in the door on the right as I knew it just led to the compass.

The door on the left however was like the last, blocked and with a switch awaiting our attention on the floor. This switch didn't need more weight to push it down like the other. Instead, the switch had to be held down for the door to remain unlocked. I was originally planning to use Ruto to hold the switch down, but since she's determined to be useful the crate I was carrying would serve as the necessary replacement. Of course, I could always just stand on the switch myself and tell her to go in and deal with the dangling tentacle herself.

_Ah, probably better to use the crate so I can make sure she doesn't die a humiliating death..._

I carefully placed the crate onto the switch, figuring it was better than carelessly dropping it into place and watching it shatter apart before my eyes. The weight pushed the switch down and the door became unlocked. I strolled forward into the next room.

The Parasitic Tentacle inside dominated the room, hanging down almost from the ceiling to the floor. The electrified flesh narrowed in the middle of it, before ending in a not so narrow array of spikes at the bottom. It twitched and twisted through the air sporadically, not reacting to our presence yet.

Of course, Ruto let out a shriek upon seeing it so the thing quickly withdrew into the ceiling until only the dangerous spiky end could be seen.

I gave her a dry look, telling her plainly in no words at how unimpressed I was at her 'help'. She at least had the decency to look abashed.

I sighed.

"Did you see the where it gets narrow on its body?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"I'm going to lure it down and want you to hit that point with the boomerang." I ordered.

"How are you going to lure it down?" she questioned.

"How do you think?" I replied, already walking towards the centre of the room. When I was almost underneath it the thing flew down at high speeds towards me. I dove out of the way but it wasn't necessary as the boomerang flew into its weak point and forced it back.

It tried to swing around and lunge at me but a conjured wind arrow that embedded into it made it change its mind again. The boomerang hit it again and this time went straight through, cutting it in half. The other half fled into the ceiling as a chest appeared in a flash of light.

"See, I can be helpful!" Ruto told me.

"Yes, you did great," I told her, already looting the dungeon map out of the chest.

"Ooh, what's that?" she asked me.

"A map of this place."

"What? Why would there be a map of the inside of Lord Jabu-Jabu?" she wondered.

"I don't know, maybe someone got lost and a map was created." I answered, not really paying much attention. I made a show of 'studying' the map; that way I could use that as an excuse for knowing exactly where I was going.

I backtracked back to the room with the boomerang, but turned left instead of right at the junction just before it. The tentacle blocking the path had disappeared, which was something that Ruto noted. I casually commented on how it must've been linked to the tentacle we just visited.

The room had another Parasitic Tentacle, which we easily defeated. Thankfully, Ruto didn't alert it before we had even gotten into the room again. No chest appeared this time, so we just walked out after it was gone and Ruto followed me back to the main junction of this area.

Weaving past the unfriendly inhabitants, we made our way down the now unblocked middle passageway. The door at the end opened into a room with yet another tentacle monster, although this one had four jellyfish bodyguards. I bet it felt so important.

I ordered Ruto to target the jellyfish from the sides of the room and out of the reach of the long reaching parasite. I then instructed her to take down the tentacle. Yep, I basically did nothing.

What can I say? She wanted to be useful, so I was making use of her.

With that done we finally made our way back to the room that I met Ruto in. The tentacle that had been blocking one of the holes was gone and I jumped down, shivering and feeling horrible going down that fleshy passage.

I landed on a ledge and moved aside before Ruto would've landed on top of me.

_Oh wait, I never actually needed to kill all those tentacle things, I could've just come down here and used my wind powers to jump up. Whoops..._

Oh well, I would've needed to get the boomerang anyway; Link will need it in the future I'm sure.

Ruto and I walked through the door that was down a corridor from the ledge we were on. Through the door was a room with a large raised platform and the Zora's Sapphire resting upon it.

"That's it!" Ruto squealed. "That's what I've been looking for! Help me up there! Onto the platform!"

"Fine, fine" I grumbled. I stood in front of it and linked my hands together. She looked at me strangely.

"Step onto my hands and jump up," I told her. She looked like she was about to argue, but another glance at the precious gem in front of her had her on and off of my hands in an instant. I propelled myself up after her with a little magical help.

Ruto already held the stone in one hand, relief clear in her face as she cradled it.

"Oh my goodness! I finally found... My mother's stone..." she said softly to herself. She turned to me. "I got very upset when Lord Jabu-Jabu swallowed it...While I was feeding him, he suddenly swallowed me! I was so surprised I dropped it inside..."

"If you dropped it why didn't you just pick it up again?" I interrupted.

She glared at me, not amused by my question and continued on as if I hadn't just asked a serious question.

"But, now that I've found it, I don't need to be in here anymore! So take me home right now!"

The platform trembled at her bossiness and rose up with both of us on it. It fitted into the floor of the room above us. Ruto began screaming as Bigocto leaped at us; however I remained calm because of my foreknowledge and half a dozen arrows were already on an intercept course, forcing the massive Octorock through the air away from us.

"Hit it with the boomerang!" I barked. It snapped Ruto out of her hysterics and she threw her weapon at it, turning it purple as it became temporarily paralysed. As soon as she grabbed the returning boomerang I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the corridor nearby and towards the door at the end.

Bigocto spun out of its paralysis and rushed towards us, squeezing itself into the narrow passageway after us. We got through the door into the next room and I ordered Ruto to hit the flapping piece of electrified flesh with her weapon. It turned purple with paralysis and we jumped onto it. Ruto threw the boomerang at the second one without needing a prompt and jumped across onto it, catching the boomerang in her hand while in mid air.

I had to step to the side, to avoid a rock that the native Octorock spat at me, before I could jump across as well, narrowly avoiding Bigocto as he finished squeezing through the passageway and leaped at me. Ruto and I jumped across the small gap to solid ground and went through the door.

We were back in the second room, the vertical shaft. We ran forward and jumped across to the curved platform attached to the wall. It descended a level and only then did we collapse onto the ground in relief.

"What in Hyrule was that!?" Ruto exclaimed.

"Looked like a big Octorock," I replied, nonchalantly. I created a wind arrow to kill the jellyfish before it could move towards us.

She glared at me.

"You! You knew it was there!"

"What in the world are you talking about?" I asked confused at how she could possibly know that.

"You reacted way to fast! By the time I saw it your weird magic was hitting it!"

_Ah she is more observant than I thought a young fish girl could possibly be... _

"I have fast reflexes," I said defensively.

Her hand reached out and slapped me on the head. I twitched and glared at her.

"Fast reflexes my..." she muttered, the end too quiet for me to hear.

I sighed, stood up and moved over to the lone crate across the room. I back past Ruto, who was now standing up and had decided to follow me, and put it down on the switch in front of the now accessible door.

"See!" Ruto shouted. "That's what I'm talking about! You couldn't even see that switch from around the corner and yet you go grab the crate because you know the switch is there!"

"That's because I had to come through this room earlier and saw the switch from across the room!" I shouted back.

_This is starting to get annoying; I should've just let her be kidnapped by the big Octorock, even if she does have the boomerang and I need her because I don't have enough energy to kill everything by myself..._

Ruto flinched back. It was probably because I had spun around and screamed directly into her face, or maybe I had bad breath. Regardless, I turned back around and walked through the door into the next room.

One room away from the boss and out of this damn place.

_I really want to just skip out of fighting the boss, but I've come this far and let it be said I don't finish what I start... _

The room opened up, a ramp going down into shin deep green liquid and another coming up to the locked door that held the boss. Vines grew along the wall that stuck out into the room and tinted coloured crystal/glass could be seen above, a hanging switch visible behind it.

A few jellyfish littered the room, the closest ones dying after a moment of concentration before they could attack me.

I couldn't be bothered to climb the vines; I walked over to the boss room and tried to measure the distance. I created an arrow above the barrier and fired it towards the switch but it missed due to being too low.

A couple of arrows later as I worked out the correct vertical height and horizontal positioning and the door behind me sprang open. I walked in, Ruto silently following behind me.

The door came shut behind us, the sound of crackling electricity floated around the room. Well, at least the huge jellyfish the sound was coming from were all floating around. They all began to swarm over to the parasite in the centre of the room, attaching themselves to its body.

Bio-Electric Anemone: Barinade

Finally, after this thing died I could be out of this foul fleshy fish stinking place...

A couple of the tentacles keeping it attached to the ceiling came free and aimed at us. I grabbed Ruto and dived out of the way of the beam of electricity it fired, the floor a soft and bouncy mattress for us to land on.

We got to our feet in a hurry and moved out of the way of another attack.

"Cut through what's attaching it the ceiling!" I ordered. Ruto nodded and began making her way around the room to the left while I circled in the opposite direction. I tried using a wind arrow but, as I feared, they did cut through.

The arrows pierced but didn't slice like the boomerang did. I would be able to take out the main body easily enough but I needed Ruto to reveal it for me.

Well she was doing a good job at least, moving fast enough that she wouldn't get hit. The three tentacles were cut pretty fast and the monster dropped to the floor. The jellyfish or Bari began to spin around it at rapid speeds, revealing the body.

Two wind arrows blurred into it and bounced off.

_What!? Don't tell me... _

"Hit its main body with the boomerang!" I called out.

A shriek was my reply. I turned and found Ruto on the floor, cowering under the waves of passing fish. They all suddenly stopped and floated in place. I began popping them with arrows, one after another like bubbles.

With all the jellyfish destroyed Barinade started spinning around the room, the tentacles aiming at us and firing their beam attack. I had to quickly pull Ruto to her feet and get her moving before she got electrocuted on the floor.

"Hit it!" I told her again.

She took aim and released, the boomerang flew true and stopped it cold. I conjured half a dozen arrows and released them into it. It sunk into the ground and retaliated with its electrical attack, which I easily dodged, stepping right into the second one.

I gritted as my whole body started to spasm, muscles locking up and cramping. My blood ignited for a split second and inferno burned inside me. I thought I heard my name shouted aloud, but I cracked open my mouth and screamed over it.

Then it was over.

Barinade started spinning again once its attack on me stopped. Ruto ran over to me, obviously worried.

"Just hit it again," was all I told her.

She did so, and this time I created as many arrows as I could. A dozen or two sat in the air, I had lost count of how many I had made, but it was enough. The paralysed monster couldn't move as its death rained down upon it, piercing and carving out huge pieces of flesh until what remained hardened up and collapsed into chunks.

"Are you okay?" Ruto's face was suddenly looking down at me.

Huh, I was on the floor. I must've blacked out.

"I'm fine," I murmured, getting up.

"Are you sure? That electric attack looked like it hurt!"

"It just stung a little,"

"But you were screaming!"

"I'm sure I scream over a lot of things," I told her, wanting to stop talking as my throat felt parched, like I had just done a hike in a desert without anything to drink.

I walked over to the heart container by the chunks and bloodstains. It revitalised me, renewing my energy and healing my aching muscles. I then moved over to the blue portal.

"Are you coming?" I asked impatiently, as Ruto seemed to be deep in thought and wasn't moving. She gave a start and moved into it with me. The blue light overwhelmed us and we seemed to be floating.

A flash of light later and we appeared outside. I resisted the urge to step back as Ruto leaned forward, staring at me intently.

"You!" she started. "You looked cool… Cooler than I thought you would, anyway… Just a little!"

"Um… Thanks?" I wasn't really sure how to respond to this, I didn't even know how I felt about Ruto anymore. She's an annoying brat, but she helped out and tried to be useful.

"Well anyway, thanks for your help getting back my mothers stone," she said.

And turned as if to walk away.

"Wait!" I called out.

_What the…? Isn't she supposed to offer me a reward? Oh… But I didn't actually save her did I? And she helped me out as well…_

Ruto spun around with a questioning look on her face.

"I… Uh… Kinda need that Spiritual Stone… To save the world…" I stuttered.

_Well, at least Link needs the stone…_

She froze and then began laughing.

"Oh that's a good one! Saving the world!" she giggled.

"Hey! I'm being serious!" I exclaimed.

She froze again, the smile wiping of her face as she realised that I was. Suddenly she blushed and started studying me.

"My mother gave it to me and said I should give it only to the man who will be my husband. You might call it a Zora engagement ring!" she slowly nodded. "But I never considered having a wife!"

"Uh, that's okay… I just need it; I don't think the engagement stuff is a good idea…"

"No, no! I think I'll give it to you, my most precious possession to my future wife!" Ruto nictitated at me.

It was my turn to freeze as my brain turned to much. Her wink left me feeling a little worried as she handed the Zora's Sapphire over to me.

"I… Um… Uh…" I stammered. I couldn't form proper words anymore, my mind couldn't function any more.

My eye twitched as I stared blankly at her.

"Don't tell my father…" she smiled and turned around again, this time walking away towards the entrance.

I shivered and that broke the spell over me.

_Great, now I'm engaged to someone who is the same gender AND a different race! Where did my life go so wrong?_

I felt like screaming but kept it inside. At least I had the stone though, I could say to Zelda that I have helped Link in his quest and kept my promise. Not that it makes me any more eager to see him and hand it over.

I walked back towards the entrance myself. Ruto was there talking to a young boy dressed in a green tunic, a hat partially covering his blonde hair and a sword and shield strapped on his back.

I froze as they both turned at my appearance.

"Hi again Ruto… Hi… Link…" I greeted them, reluctantly. 


End file.
